Sometimes, Drama's Actually A Good Thing
by lovedoesn'thurt
Summary: She loves to read about drama. A lot. Her brother says she doesn't have a social life. Unfortunately, he's right. When her brother locks her out of their cabin, she finds herself with the Son of Hades. Well...her brother wanted her to make friends, right?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! Just wanted to edit some chapters! For all my new readers, enjoy the story!**

**Review :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>My nose was buried in a book I was currently fascinated with. It spoke of a girl's dramatic life and those entire clichéd topics. Strangely enough, I found all of those stories interesting. It always amazed me that no matter how screwed up the girl's life was, she would always find 'the one'. Truthfully, I never actually believed in those corny fairytales. There was no such thing as your 'other half.'<p>

I could be wrong, though, but I'm a daughter of Athena. Being wrong hardly ever happened.

Of course, my sister, Annabeth, would tell you a different story. She could make a whole book based on her relationship with Percy. She _loves _him, really, really _loves _him, and he loves her back. They're meant to be, that's what everyone says, and I have to agree with him.

Percy Jackson, I like him well enough. He's the Savior of Olympus. How could you not like him? He has a great sense of humor, and he's the best swordsmen ever. He works well with Annabeth. They've known each other for six years now. They've been going out for three.

With his sea green eyes and messy black hair, he was good looking. Of course, I wouldn't say that in front of Annabeth. She might deny it, but she gets jealous easily. She knew that there were still girls that go all gaga on Percy, but if they valued their lives, they wouldn't dare talk about it.

"She's been like that for hours," one of my siblings said. I was lying on my bed on my stomach. My blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, and I was glad. I hated how it kept going in front off my face when I read.

"It's normal for us to read, though," another one of my siblings replied. Judging from their voices, it was one of my sisters and another was my brother.

"But she needs to get some sunlight," my brother insisted. "Just let her read," my sister said exasperated a bit.

"She's thirteen, she needs a social life," my brother said. I sighed irritated and put my bookmark on the page I was in. I closed the book gently and slid it under my pillow. I rolled to one side so now I was lying on my back. I turned my face to the right and glared at my siblings.

"Thank you so much, brother dearest," I grumbled. My sister, Lilia, smiled apologetically to me. Her blonde straight hair was lying on her left shoulder. She was taller than me, but everyone was taller than me so it didn't really matter.

No one dared tease me about my height, though. I might be short but I could cuss you out in three seconds flat. That and because my siblings were overprotective of me. I was the youngest out of all the Athena kids. Lilia's eyes were gray like the rest of us, but it was actually never the same. All of us had the same gray eyes, but to me, we all had different shades. Annabeth's eyes were darker than Lilia's, and my eyes were somewhere in between.

Lilia's my closest sister. I told her everything but there wasn't much to tell. Like my brother, Riegan, pointed out, I didn't have much of a social life. I won't deny it. I don't talk to many people, but it's only because reading takes up most of my time. I train like the rest of my siblings do but most of the time, I'm reading.

"You need some friends, Arabelle," Riegan told me and I rolled my eyes.

"Are you sure you're the son of Athena?" I asked him. "You sound more like a child of Apollo or Hermes." It was true, though. He had to be the most playful Athena kid. He would joke about things, and he always managed to make everyone—anyone—smile. He was just so easy to get along with.

He looked the same as us. We all had blonde hair and gray eyes. It was a trait that we inherited. I wouldn't complain, though. Sure, I would rather have blue or green eyes, but I have gray. I can't change what has been given to me. "Ouch, you pierce me straight in the heart," he said, clutching a piece of his shirt.

"Why don't you go outside? It's been a while since we saw you outside the cabin," Lilia said gently. She always reminded me of a motherly figure. I always depended on her for everything. Of course, I wouldn't tell her half of the things I told her if she was my mother.

"But I feel so cozy," I said, smiling.

"C'mon, Arabelle," Riegan pleaded with me, but I just shook my head and closed my eyes.

My eyes snapped wide open when I felt myself being lifted off my bed, and I was now over Riegan's shoulders. I screamed, demanding him to let me down. The rest of my siblings in the cabin turned in our direction but smiled when they saw us. Oh, so they like seeing me being held against my will? Great siblings...Back to me screaming my head off…

"RIEGAN TROY AVEIL, I SWEAR ON THE RIVER STYX THAT IF YOU DON'T PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW, I WILL GET MY SWORD, CUT OFF YOUR TESTICLES AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR—"

"Aw, don't be like that, baby sis. I'm just trying to be a good big brother by trying to get you some new friends," he interrupted me as he started walking towards the door.

"Oh my gods!" I cried. "If you go through that door, I swear on the River Styx—"

"Okay, okay," Riegan muttered, and he finally put me down on the ground. He opened the door for me, and I turned to give him a confused look. "You, baby sister, are going to go out the door and talk with some new demigods," he instructed me, and I cocked my head to one side.

"Are you serious?" I asked him.

"You either go make some new friends or bye bye book," Riegan smirked dangling my book in his hand. I made a sound that _suspiciously_ sounded like a growl.

"Aw, do you have to be so mean?" Lilia asked, standing beside me, putting her arms around my petite shoulders.

"Name five of your friends," Riegan told me. "Lilia, you—" I started, but he cut me off.

"Someone _not_part of our cabin," he said, and I bit my lip. Unfortunately, I couldn't name anyone. Yes, my life was a bore, but that's why I liked reading books. They offered so much drama. Riegan sighed impatiently, waiting. When I didn't say anything, he opened the door wider for me and gestured.

Frowning, I took a step outside and when I was about to make a comment, the door slammed right in front my face. My jaw dropped when I realized what happened. My own brother had just locked me out of my own cabin.

My hands were twitching to punch something. Anything. My eyes were closed shut so I didn't realize when my punch was stopped. I opened my eyes to see a boy, holding my arm that was aimed for him. I cursed under my breath and quickly apologized to him. He tilted his head before letting his hand fall. "I don't see you much around here," the boy told me.

He looked about my age. He wore all black that covered his pale skin. His dark brown eyes almost matched with his shaggy black hair. He seemed like a person who never smiled much. I've never seen him much, too, but it's pretty much the same reason that he doesn't see me.

"I spend a lot of time reading," I told him. He looked...cold. Distant. I couldn't tell if he was nice or mean because he showed no emotion behind his poker face. I only realized now how his eyes, his hair, his cold expression reminded me of a god.

"I'm Nico," he told me. My brain went haywire trying to find something I knew about him. Where have I heard him before? Was he important? Had he been claimed? Then I slowly come to a conclusion.

"You're the son of Hades," I realized. "And you're the daughter of Athena," he replied, without missing a beat. "Arabelle," I told him.

"Nice name."

"So what are you doing outside of my cabin?"

"Is Annabeth...?"

"She's with Thalia." I shook my head. The hunters were staying at camp, and Annabeth wanted to spend most of her time with Thalia. I couldn't blame my sister for wanting to spend time with her best friend. Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, found Annabeth when she was young. Now, she's the lieutenant of Artemis. Immortal. Powerful. Of course, with perks like that every girl would sign up to be a hunter, right? Wrong. All of those things came with one price.

No boys. Cue gasps.

"Oh, well, thanks, I guess," he said awkwardly. I realized he was waiting for me to say something, and I inwardly sighed.

If my brother wants me to make friends, then he wouldn't have a problem with me hanging out with the son of Hades, and even if he _did_ have a problem with it…It's all his fault for sticking his nose in my business, anyways.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey! I'm back with another chapter! I'm glad some of you like this, and I hope you'll continue reading it! As you all know, I just _love_ Nico, and I love making stories about him.

Disclaimer: Haha, if I told you I owned PJO, would you believe me?

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><p>The wind brushed past me and I shivered slightly. Thank gods I was wearing a jacket.<p>

Nico and I were still in the same place as we were before. I mentally groaned. This is why I hated making new friends. You have to get past the awkward stage, and you have to wreck your brain to find some subject to talk about. I sighed deeply before meeting his eyes.

It surprised me a little when I caught him already staring at me.

"Walk with me," I told him and brushed passed him. He caught up with me and now we were side by side. His hands were in his pockets as well as mine.

He didn't seem like the talking type so we both fell silent. Truthfully, I didn't know where we were going. I was just letting my feet take me wherever it wanted us to go. Nico didn't looked like he had a problem with that. Well, I didn't know. He hardly ever shows any emotions.

"So tell me again why we're walking around saying nothing to each other?" his voice reigned my thoughts.

"My brother wanted me to make friends," I shrugged. "And I'm making one." He didn't show any emotions—again—which bothered me a little. Didn't this guy, I don't know, communicate?

"I don't get why it has to be me," he admitted.

"Why can't it be you?" I retorted and smirked slightly when he didn't say anything else.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. We've been walking for gods know how long, and we haven't talked about anything. I don't like it when people talk too much, but I also despise people who don't talk at _all_. I sighed deeply. Hm...I really need to stop sighing. I'll break that habit later.

"Don't talk much, do you?" I asked him.

"You're not talking either," he pointed out.

"You're right." He stopped walking, and I looked confused for a second. What did I say? Realization dawned and I found myself rolling my eyes at him.

"I can't believe you just said that," he teased and I was slightly taken back from how he reacted. I never really considered him to be a joking type of guy, but I never actually knew him.

"Tell me, how old are you?" I asked him. Hey, everybody asks this. It's just a basic question. I wanted to know his age even thought I had a pretty good guess.

"I'm fourteen," he answered.

"When's your birthday?"

"January 28."

"Damn," I replied. His eyes widened and I looked at him weirdly again. What now?

"You just cussed," he said in disbelief and I laughed.

"Just because I'm a daughter of Athena, doesn't mean I don't cuss like human beings do," I smiled at him and was surprised when he smiled back. It wasn't a big smile, mind you. It was just a tiny smile, but I felt like...I don't know. No, his smile didn't make my heart flutter or anything like that.

It made me feel like we could be friends. Good friends.

"And why the sudden use of cuss word?" he asked me.

"You're older than me," I said playfully annoyed.

"And when's your birthday?" he asked interested.

"September 9," I told him.

"That's a week from now," he realized. I sighed and nodded my head. Technically, I'm still thirteen. Riegan was beaming at me when I first woke up from my thirteenth birthday. He said that I was official a teenager. My whole cabin celebrated my birthday. Since I was the youngest, they all loved my birthday. They all treated me like I was a little kid. They were the closest thing I have as a family.

"Yeaup, my siblings are going to throw me a party in our cabin again," I told him.

"It must be nice to have a family," he muttered sorrowfully. It was then that I realized his sister died. Annabeth told me once when we were hanging out. We were talking and the subject of the hunters came up and eventually she told me that Bianca Di Angelo died.

How could I forget something important like that?

It never occurred to me before, but I appreciated what I had now. I was blessed to have a dad who cared about me. He wasn't strict or mean. He reminded me of the boy version of Sally Jackson. I only met her once or twice but I knew she was probably the most caring, sweetest, amazing parent on the whole entire universe.

I had an amazing family. My siblings and I always had each other's backs. We could laugh about anything and we could probably come up with a dozen battle strategies. We always stood up for each other.

Nico doesn't have that.

He lost his mom when he was just a toddler. He lost his mom to Zeus. She got killed because of a god. It wasn't an accident. Zeus did that on purpose. He would kill an innocent mortal to destroy his threats.

His sister died. He had no family left. Hades could care less about him being the king of the Underworld and all that shit. He's alone in his cabin 'cause he was born in one of the Big Three. He didn't have what I have. My eyes looked down at my feet.

He was _alone_in this world.

"It's nice to have some friends, too," I added on to his sentence.

"I wouldn't know. I don't spend my time trying to make friends with demigods. They're all scared of me, anyways," he told me.

I narrowed my eyes. How could someone be scared of him?

I looked at him more closely. He did look sort of scary, I guess. You don't see him around much. He basically wore dark clothes all the time. He didn't smile a lot. I don't think I ever heard him laugh but then again, I only talked to him today. But he doesn't look scary.

"You're not scary. Just...misunderstood," I concluded.

"People think I'm scary just because I'm the son of Hades, and I wear black," he said with distain.

I could see where he was coming from. It was kind of stereotype if you think about it. Just because someone wears black, doesn't mean he or she is emo. Just because his parent is the God of the Death, doesn't mean he's like his dad.

"You're not like your dad, though," I stated.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "We're both outcasts in this lonely world."

"He's not lonely," I told him. "He has Persephone," I reminded him. He groaned.

"Don't get me started on my step-mother," he said. "And like, he kidnapped her. She didn't want anything to do with him. Her mom, Demeter, is still fighting with him for over centuries," he explained.

"Well, you're not gonna kidnap anyone," I joked. He chuckled and I thought that was a start. I could—would—get him to laugh one day.

...

"Where do you stay?" I asked him.

"Sometimes here, sometimes in the Underworld, I just travel to places," he shrugged. I wonder what's it like, to go wherever, whenever. It must be nice to be free.

I love my life, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't trade it with anybody's, but I never traveled much. I wonder what's it like to go to the other places of the world. There was one place I really wanted to go. Hades, I bet you every demigod wants to go there, too.

"You'll take me with you on one of your little trips, right?" I asked him hopeful. He pretended to think for a bit.

"Depends," he answered.

"On what?"

"On whether or not you'll still want to be seen around with me," he answered.

"Like I said, you're not bad, just—"

"Misunderstood," he finished for me. I smiled at him and it shocked me when he smiled back. It wasn't the tiny smile he gave me earlier. It was a full grin. One day, I'll get him to smile like that all the time.

One day, he'll be my best friend.

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><p>AN: As you can see, I'm going to be taking things slow. Don't worry, there will be romance later on, but for now, you have to deal with them being friends. Like how we had deal with Percabeth. It took four years for their relationship to grow before Annabeth kissed him. *sighs* I hate Rick Riordan for not including a Percabeth reunion. He needs to hurry up before mobs of Percabeth fans come and attack him!

Tell me what you think :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So I'm glad all of you like this story so far! It makes me happy that you like how I'm going with this story. I don't plan on making this long, but you never know. This might get its own mind.

I know I have other stories, too, that I'm not finish, but it makes me feel...I don't know. I just need something new once in a while, you know?

**Disclaimer:** **I would laugh at you if you actually think I own PJO.**

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><p>"Well, this was oddly fun," I confessed as we stared walking back to my cabin. The sun was setting and I had to go back to my cabin for dinner. My siblings would send a search party if they thought I was missing.<p>

"More fun than I expected," Nico admitted. We were in front if the cabin now. I turned to face Nico, pondering.

"So how am I gonna do this? Hug you goodbye? Say goodbye? Kiss you on the cheek goodbye?" I asked in a joking matter. It was suppose to sound like a joking matter, but I actually wanted to know how people do this. We were still in that awkward stage, but I think we got passed that a bit.

"Let's go with the say goodbye choice," Nico said with the same joking tone I used.

"Hugging goodbye it is," I said purposely trying to annoy him. I threw my arms around him and laughed when he was frozen in his place. "It would help if you hugged me back," I advised him.

It took seconds before he hugged me back. Friends do this all the time. I see Annabeth hugging Percy and Thalia. I see girls hugging their girlfriends. So it's okay for me to hug the son of Hades.

I pulled back and smiled at him. He smiled back at me and it was the biggest smile I ever saw on him.

"You are a very strange daughter of Athena," he teased.

"I get it, Di Angelo. I'm not normal," I said lightheartedly.

"And I'm not normal," he agreed.

"Bye, Nico," I told him. He didn't say anything back but smiled at me again and waved before walking away. I opened the door to find all my siblings already staring at me. Everyone was here, even Annabeth, which was a shocker 'cause she always spends time with _her_Percy.

"So," Riegan started casually. "Where have you been?" he questioned.

For some odd reason, I found this amusing. It reminded me how parents were suppose to act all protectiveness of their daughter. Not your siblings. Never the less, I loved how they all cared about me.

"I've been out," I answered. I casually walked towards my bed and grabbed the bag under it. I pulled a silver brush out and started brushing my long blonde hair.

My siblings didn't take their eyes off me.

"She's brushing her hair..." Riegan said in disbelief.

"She came back late," Lilia commented.

"No, I didn't. I came back right on time," I replied calmly.

"You came back before we went to dinner, who were you with?" she asked curiously. My siblings leaned in with anticipation. I crossed my arms.

"That's none of your business," I smirked slightly. Oh, the perks of having a life. You can scare your siblings by acting like you're hiding a big secret.

Lilia's eyes widened a bit and Riegan's jaw dropped. The others had a similar shocked expression. It was a shocker if you think about it. I told all of them almost everything. I could trust them all, and they knew that.

Now, I could mess with them.

Who doesn't have a life, now? I mentally asked.

"She's finally a teenager!" Riegan said with rejoice. It took all of my restraint not to roll my eyes. He looked at me before picking me off the ground in a tight embrace. I laughed at his silly actions.

I was irritated at him, too. Oh. So I wasn't a teenager before?

"We're bound to know someday so you might as well save us the trouble of finding out," Malcolm said. He was one of my protective brothers. Pretty much all of them were.

"Annabeth knows him," I pointed out and all their heads snapped in her direction. She burrowed her eyebrows and started to think.

"I know a lot of people," she reminded me.

"Well, he's Percy's cousin," I hinted and a light bulb went off her head. No, I'm serious. I could actually see her face lit up. It looked so real it freaked me out a little.

"Nico Di Angelo," she answered and I nodded my head. All of their jaws dropped except for Annabeth. She winked at me for some unknown reason.

"You're friends with the son of _Hades_?" Riegan exclaimed shocked. He made it sound like I was doing the worst thing possible. I shrugged my shoulders thinking it wasn't that bad.

"Well, you see Arabelle, we don't think you should be friends with him," Lilia said gently. I placed both of my hands on my hips and shifted my weight.

"Why not?" I asked her with a challenging gleam in my eyes.

"Because he's the son of Hades!" Riegan said like it was obvious.

"Annabeth's was friends with a son of Poseidon," I told him.

"And look how well that turned out," he replied.

"What are you—Oh." I said understand it better. I looked at all my siblings who were smart enough to stay quiet. I might be the youngest one, but I'm as stubborn as the rest of my siblings.

Of course, this forbidness thing didn't help a bit. It's like a teenage instinct or something. You know when you parents tell you to _not _do this, but you do it anyways? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Rebellious was something that I know Percy had.

Maybe he rubbed it off of me because now I was more determined to be friends with Nico.

I won't let my siblings take someone who might be important in my life away.

There's no way in hell I'm going to let them.

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><p>Review :)<p> 


	4. Chapter 4: I'll Always Be Here For You

A/N: Hello my fellow readers! I'm back with another chapter! I watched Lemonade Mouth like hours ago, and so that's how I ended up with the ending of this chapter :)

I suggest you listen to More Than A Band by Lemonade Mouth. It really fits the ending and so I hope you like this chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own a single thing. Except Arabelle, Lilia, and Riegan, oh! and the plot, too.

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><p>"Tell me about your life," I suggested one afternoon. Nico and I were sitting on a tree branch. Our feet were dangling in the air and Nico was leaning on the trunk. In hindsight, I guess I shouldn't have went first. I could fall much easier than Nico could, but I dunno. I guess I didn't mind.<p>

Nico shifted his weight uncomfortably. I cocked my head to the right a bit but otherwise stayed silent. I knew better than to push the son of Hades. We might have gotten closer, but we weren't _that _close. Not yet, anyways.

"My mother died when I was a baby. My dad, Hades, was with her during that time. He tried to convince her to stay with him in the Underworld—" I shivered at the thought "–but she refused. Thunder hit the building and Hades only had enough time to shield me and my sister," he got quiet after that. A minute of silence passed by before he started talking again.

"Hades let Alecto take me and Bianca to the River or Lethe to wash away our memories. She put us in the Lotus Casino where we never aged."

"Then aren't you like..." I started calculating in my brain, but Nico beat me to it.

"70 years old or something? I guess," he told me.

"Anyways, Alecto, disguised as a lawyer, took us out and enrolled us in Westover Hall. Later on, Percy finds us, but Bianca joins the Hunters."

"How old were you?" I asked.

"I was ten," he answered. My eyes started wandering around. He was ten. He was so young. Why did his sister leave him? He probably couldn't understand what was happening!

He didn't know the risks of being a demigod. He didn't know that his life was about to get so much harder. He didn't know that the life of a demigod doesn't always have a happy ending.

All of these were assumptions in my mind. I didn't know whether to voice it or just to keep quiet.

"You lost your sister when you were ten," I realized. His jaw clenched and for a second I was afraid that he might push me off the tree. He shut his eyes for a moment, and the hands that were fisted at his sides slowly unclenched. He let out a breath before opening his eyes.

"She died by saving Percy and his friends from a malfunctioning Talos in the Junkyard of the Gods. S-She picked up a figurine of Hades when she wasn't suppose to."

"Why?" I asked. She risked her life for a figurine? What was so important about that?

"It was a figurine that I didn't have," he admitted a little sheepishly.

"What?" I asked not comprehending which was a first.

"See, I used to play this Greek Mythology game: Mythomagic and-"

"She wanted to give it to you," I guess. I felt sorry for Bianca. She died because…because she wanted to give her brother a thing that he always wanted. She wanted him to know that even thought she was part of the hunters, she would always care and love him forever.

"I blamed it on Percy. I hated him and I told him it was his fault that Bianca died. I ran away from camp and found Minos' spirit. He helped me develop my powers and he lied to me. He lied about trying to bring my sister back."

I gasped quietly.

"You were trying to bring her back?" I asked shocked and amazed. Shocked that a son of Hades would do such a thing. Shouldn't he of all people respect the law that when people die, they stay dead? Shouldn't he know that there was no possible way to bring back someone you loved? It defied the law of nature. Everybody dies at one point. No one can live forever except the gods and the titans and the-you know what I mean.

In every life cycle, there is an ending. An ending called death.

I was amazed that he would try and do such a risky thing. Wouldn't his father get mad at him for trying to bring someone alive? I was also amazed on how much trouble he went through trying to get his sister back. I never knew what it was like to grow up with siblings. I was an only child in my real family.

In short, I was shockingly amazed.

"She was my only family. Zeus killed my mother and Hades could care less about me," he confessed. His head was down and he stopped dangling his feet.

I knew he didn't want to cry in front of me. I knew he didn't want to seem weak. He wasn't crying tears that I could see but I knew he was shedding invisible tears.

Invisible tears are the hardest to wipe away.

I was hesitant at first but slowly placed my hand on top of his. He lifted his head to look at me. I gave him a reassuring smile.

"I can't pretend to know what it's like for you. You don't have to say anything, but know that I won't let you down...You used to always faced the world alone, but you're not alone...Not anymore."

"I'll always be there for you whether you need a shoulder to cry on or just a reassuring hand. I'm always gonna be here," I promised him.

Call me dramatic. I didn't really care.

Nico Di Angelo, a fourteen-year-old boy, lost everything that was precious to him. He didn't have any family to go to. He didn't have anyone to talk to since demigods were afraid of him. He spent more time with the dead than with the living.

Nico needed someone who would always be there.

He needed a _friend_.

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><p>AN: Leave me your reviews :) Oh! And for all those Twihards out there. Check out my story: **I'm Alive **! It would make me super happy if you read and review :)


	5. Chapter 5: They Don't Know Love

_A/N: Hey, guys! I know I haven't updated in a while, but now I'm trying to update every one of my stories. Sorta. This is a short chapter, but I thought it turned out okay. _

_All mistakes are my own. I don't have a beta. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own a thing._

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><p>"You're going to fall for him," Lilia told me knowingly. I rolled my eyes at her statement.<p>

"We're friends, Lil'," I used my nickname for her. "We only got to know each other for like two days," I reminded her.

"They always start out as friends and almost certainly ends up as a couple," she quoted.

"This isn't a book, Lilia. Not everyone falls in love. Not everyone finds their 'significant' other. Not everyone—"

"I get it," she held out her palm. She sat at the edge of my bed and put both of her hands on my shoulders. She looked directly in my eyes and sighed.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt," she said quietly. Again, we were having one of these sister-to-sister moment, but it felt more like a mother-to-daughter moment right now.

"I'm fourteen; I'm too young to fall in love," I stated.

"No one's too young to fall in love," she contradicted.

"I'm pretty sure middle schoolers are too young to be in love," I said with an obvious expression. "I swear, it irritates me so much when they say they 'love' someone and it's all just general bull-"

"Language!" Lilia scolded. I rolled my eyes at her again. Please, I'm not a child anymore. She's suppose to be my sister, someone who encourages me to cuss. Not a mother, who fusses about cuss words.

"And when did you start thinking about this, huh?" I questioned her. "I'm sure you don't spend all your time thinking about love."

"I've been talking with some—"

"You know that it's not wise to believe everything someone says," I reminded her sharply. I didn't care that she talked to some people about me and Nico. I didn't care if they were spreading rumors about is. It didn't matter because you know why?

I'm the daughter of Athena.

And I don't care about what people thought of me.

"But they do make some good points," Lilia argued. "It's common knowledge that when a girl and boy start out as friends—"

"And it's also common knowledge that a girl and a guy can be friends without having any romantic feelings." I moved my hand to flatten my hair before standing up from my bed.

"I know you mean well, 'Lil," I told her sincerely. "But I'm just not cut out for all this love thing, you know? This isn't some kind of fairytale."

I smiled at her tiredly before going outside and closing the door gently.

She didn't know half of it.

I _know _I'm not cut out for love. Why?

I don't believe in it.

I'm not going to say that love doesn't exist and it's only a myth, because I'm fully aware that it is real. What I'm trying to say, is that a girl who's my age—thirteen—doesn't fall in love. It just doesn't happen, well for me, it doesn't happen.

I don't know what love truly is, but I do know what it should be like.

Love is having a person know the real you. Love is being able to trust someone to take your heart, and you know they won't destroy it. Love is being able to talk to your significant others when you have problems, and they'll understand you. Love is like speaking without words, and the other person doesn't need you to say it aloud. They know it already.

Love is being able to just _be _with that special someone.

How can you love someone if you're too shy to talk to them? How can you love someone if you're too afraid to be in the same room as them? How can you love someone if you can't look at them in the eye less than one second?

That's why I get irritated when someone below or above my age says they "love" someone when they can't do most of the things I listed up there.

I was one of those people. I admit it. I always said that I "loved" my crush, but I was always wrong.

I'm not cut out for love. I'll say it again and again.

_Are you?_

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><p><em>AN: Leave me your answer in a review. Arabelle says she's not cut out for love. I say I'm not cut our for love. I promise I'll try to make the chapters more interesting. Hope you sorta liked it. _

_Review :]  
><em>


	6. Chapter 6: Fatal Flaws

A/N: I am back with another chapter! So I have like 128 Visitors but only 27 reviews. Wanna change that?

Hope you like this chapter!

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the plot.

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><p>I knocked on his door before I could stop myself. You can do this, I silently encouraged myself. I could do this. There wasn't anything different about us so I had no reason to worry.<p>

"Arabelle?" he asked clearly surprised. It was noon, and I just got back from lunch. My siblings were oddly quiet during lunch, and I could only suspect that it had something to do with me.

They didn't approve my relationship with the son of Hades.

And I continued to rebel.

"Train with me?" I asked hopefully. He looked taken back for a few moments, and I realized this was the first time I've seen so much emotion in his face in just a few minutes.

He's opening up. Good.

"Why would you want that?" he questioned me. His eyes narrowed. "I'm not weak, you know." I could hear the accusing tone in his voice.

My eyes instantly widened before something else took over.

"I never implied that you were," I said matching his tone. "I simply needed someone to train with. But since you just _assume_ the only reason why I picked you was because I thought you were weak, I guess I'll just train by myself," I huffed in irritation before turning my back on him.

How dare he? How dare he _accuse_ me of something so absurd? I would never think he was weak.

I don't prey on weak fighters. I'm not a daughter of Ares; I'm a daughter of Athena. I dislike it when people accuse me of such things. I hate it more when they accuse me of something that I would never do.

It pisses me off further more that they would even think about me doing that.

I suppose that would be my fatal flaw.

My pride. But unlike Annabeth's, I want to protect my pride. I don't want anyone thinking wrong things about me. I don't want them thinking things that I would never do. I don't want them offending me.

"Arabelle!" his voice screamed. It took all of my self-control not to shoot him with the arrow in my bow. My weapon is a sword, but it's better knowing how to handle other weapons than just one because what if I didn't have my sword? I couldn't just stay there and be useless.

"What?" I asked, not even bothering to hide my irritation.

"I'm sorry; I'm just new to all this friendship shit, and frankly, I don't even know why you're trying to hang out with me. Besides-"

"I hang out with you because of you, do I need a reason?" I asked.

"Why would you hang out with me anyways?" he questioned. "Even now, there's some people staring at us. They're probably wondering why I'm talking to you," he muttered.

"Well, aren't you suppose to give the I-don't-give-a-fuck demeanor going on?"

"I'm more concerned about your reputation than mine," he rolled his eyes.

"Well, you don't have anything to worry about. My reputation doesn't matter," I informed him. "I don't have a social life which is why you found me outside of my cabin that day. My brother took the liberty of making it his priority to make me have friends."

Holy crap, I can't believe I just told him that. If I wasn't so angry right now, I would be blushing scarlet by now.

"No social life? I thought that-"

"Stop it, stop it right there. Stop assuming things you don't know. I hate it when people do that!" I exclaimed frustrated.

"You hate it when people predict things?" he asked with an amused tone.

"I hate it when people assume things, and they don't have any evidence to back it up," I retorted.

"You get offended easily," he observed.

"That's what you call my fatal flaw," I said without thinking about saying it. Oh no...

"Your fatal flaw is getting offended?" he asked with an amused smile.

"My fatal flaw is getting provoked too easily," I corrected. "What's your fatal flaw?" I asked, taking a step closer to him. I smirked as he took a step forward.

Good. He doesn't back down. I'm liking him more everyday.

"If I told you, it would be too easy, wouldn't it be?" he said mischievously.

"But you should tell me since I told you mine," I said advancing towards him. Everybody was taller than me. I had to tilt my head up to look into his eyes.

"Where's the fun in that?" We were up close and personal now. There was barely anything between us. We weren't touching but if I moved an inch, we would be. I opened my mouth to say something but a booming voice interrupted me.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, ARABELLE!" Riegan's voice filled the arena.

"Fantastic," I grumbled. Nico and I turned to the right so now our shoulders were touching. You could literally hear Riegan's stomping from where we were.

"Why the hell were you so close to him?" he screamed at me. His eyes flickered to Nico's, and anger seemed to boil in his eyes. "And you-" cue glare "-what are you trying to do? She's freaking too young to be kissing a-"

I cut him off with my own surprisingly high-pitched tone. "Oh my gods! We weren't gonna kiss!"

Just imagining it made me blush. Gods, how the hell did this whole shit started? From being pissed at Nico to Riegan thinking we were about to kiss?

Damn.

So much drama.

My life should become a book.

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><p><strong>Review :) <strong>


	7. Chapter 7: Thank you, Riegan

A/N: Hey! Thanks so much for the reviews! They mean a lot to me! I'm glad all of you like this story!

Hope you like this chapter!

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the plot.

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><p>My idiotic over protective brother didn't look the slightest bit convinced. I took that as an insult since it looked like he didn't trust me.<p>

What kind of brother doesn't trust his own sister not to make out with a boy?

Don't answer that.

I waited for someone to say something. To break the tension in the room, well, arena. Both boys remained quiet, and I got edgier by the minute.

"We weren't gonna kiss, Riegan, so stop sending death glares at him," I informed him. "And stop cussing him out in your head. Yes, I know you are. No, stop denying it. Yes, maybe I am physic," I smirked as I watch his expression turned into a scowl.

"Swear on the River of Styx you weren't trying to kiss him?" Riegan asked calmer than the tone he used before. I mumbled the swore.

I rolled my eyes at him. I can't believe him! He just had to ask that one question and then we wouldn't be in this situation! But no. He had to be the big brother and put Nico in his "place".

But by the looks of it, nothing seemed to change.

The only difference was that Riegan was now keeping a close watch on Nico like a hawk hunting his prey.

"I am going to slap you, Riegan, if you keep this up. I already swore, I don't know why you're still here," I said irritably.

"I just don't want to turn my back and then turn it back again to find you trying to eat his face," he grumbled.

My face heated up, and I did the best thing to do in a situation like this. I had an arrow in my hand. Riegan was in hitting distance.

Arrow meet Riegan's head.

"OW!" he whined and started rubbing his now bruised head. I laughed at him, and I could hear Nico's snickering. He was trying to told back, and I wondered briefly why before coming up with my own explanation.

He had a reputation to keep.

That and because my brother would hit him in the place where the sun doesn't shine. The only reason why he didn't hit me was because I was his sister.

And I was a girl. And you know what they say, if you hit a girl, you're a faggot.

Well, you are in my book. "Goodbye, brother," I smirked at him. He muttered a 'bye' before walking off.

I then proceeded to turn to Nico and in returned, smacked his head with my arrow. He scowled at me but didn't complain like Riegan.

I was slightly disappointed because I wanted to have something over him but no. He just had to be a big bad ass guy who didn't whine.

My eyes narrowed on him. "You saw him before I did, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're lying. Ugh, I can't believe you did that! And my birthday's like in three days! Which reminds me..." I smiled cheekily.

I poked his shoulder, and he looked at me like I told him I had a twin sister as a vampire. "Are you gonna get me anything?"

Nico glanced nervously around before answering, "Is this a trick question?"

I pretended to ponder for a moment. I sighed in defeat before shaking my head. "No, I'm just asking. Are you gonna get me anything?" I repeated my question.

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Should I?"

Well, you know, you're actually like my first real friend, and I would be really happy if you gave me a present, but sadly, I kept that in my head.

"If you want to."

He nodded his head and didn't say anything furthermore.

"Walk me to my cabin?" I asked him.

* * *

><p>"Feel free to laugh any time now," I said sarcastically. Throughout the walk, Nico has been quietly snickering besides me, and I could already imagine how hard for him it must be to control his laugh.<p>

Stupid son of Hades.

"I'm sorry, but that was just too funny. I knew he would get all pissed and all that shit but to actually see his face...I swear, I saw some smoke coming from his ears," he explained.

"Whatever, Nico," I rolled my eyes. I could see my cabin, it was just a few yards away. Behind me, I could hear quiet murmuring. I glanced behind my back and found two Aphrodite girls.

They were eyeing Nico and so they didn't see me take a glance. Hell, I don't think they even notice me at all. They were all too focus on the boy walking besides me.

An uneasy feeling boiled in my stomach. I wouldn't call it jealousy, though. It's just...he's just my friend, you know? I don't want these girls to come between our friendship or cause some problems for us.

"Don't look now, but there's two Aphrodite girls looking at you like you're something to eat," I said in what I hope to be a calm tone. I was quietly snickering as I glanced and found their hungry eyes glued to Nico.

Thank gods, he didn't look back. I would've slapped him if he did. I mean, I hate it when you tell your friends to not do something, but then they do it anyway just to piss you off.

"Well, we have to do something about that, shouldn't we?" his mischievous tone almost scared me. He flashed me a wicked smile before putting his arm over my shoulder. He brought me closer to him, and I tried my best not to fall and trip.

"Play along," he whispered. After I stopped being frozen, I wrapped my arm around his waist. Oh my gods, I couldn't believe I was doing this.

"Sneak in my cabin, later. We have some unfinished business to take care off," he winked at me, and I knew he was purposely saying that loud enough so that the girls behind us were listening.

"I can't, my siblings are getting suspicious. Tomorrow, maybe?" I played along with him. He smirked.

"Nope; I guess I just have to kidnap you," he said smugly.

"You can't kidnap the willingly," I replied back with a smile. 

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><p>"Well, that was fun," Nico smiled at me as we reached my cabin. I shook my head.<p>

"I can't believe we just did that," I said still a bit dazed. I just acted like I was secretly dating the son of Hades.

"You were good." He nodded his head. "I almost believed you." He smirked at me.

"Apparently, reading books can help acting skills," I winked. I glanced at the wooden door behind me and sighed. I gave Nico a small but sincere smile. "I'll see you later, lover boy."

He raised an eye brow but didn't say anything. Instead, he shook his head while smiling to himself. My head tipped back, and I let out a small laugh before entering my cabin.

That same goofy smile I had with Nico was still firmly plastered on my face, and my siblings knew that, too.

"You look...happy..." Lilia noticed. I could hear the uncertainty in her tone. My siblings had the same unsure expression, but they didn't say anything or add on to what Lilia was saying.

Annabeth wasn't here, though. She was probably with Percy. Riegan, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes on me. He was probably contemplating whether or not he should tell the others what just happened in the arena. But truthfully, I'm positive he didn't tell anyone.

I couldn't let them find out that I was playing with the son of Hades. They would freak out if we were dating. Hell, they would probably give Nico 'the talk'...Oh Hades no...they were gonna give_ me_ the talk.

"Is it so wrong for me to be happy?" I asked in an innocent tone.

"No, it's not wrong," Lilia said quickly. "You just look...I don't know...different. You smile a lot more than you used to."

I didn't know if I should take that as an insult or a compliment, but I also felt...guilty? I mean, if my siblings noticed that I'm happier...

Doesn't that mean I wasn't as happy as I was now?

I tried to shake off that thought. Even without Nico, I was still happy with my family. They care for me, they love me, and they protect me. Something all of us do for each other.

"It's because of him, isn't it?" Riegan accused. Normally, I would snap at him with a witty remark but...

He was actually right. For once.

I couldn't deny it. My family made me happy. No questions there, but Nico made me happier.

Who knew a friend could make you so happy?

I didn't know. I've read books and all, but I never actually experienced the feeling. Sure, I've made some friends when I was young, but it's not like I can call them and say 'Hey, sorry I haven't talked to you. It's just that I'm a demigod, and we're not allowed to use phones in Camp Half-Blood, which by the way, is a camp where demigods train.'

I'm glad the son of Hades became my friend. I'm glad we keep getting closer and closer everyday. I'm glad he's opening up a bit to me.

You know what else I'm glad for?

I'm glad Riegan decided to kick me out of the cabin that day.

I smiled at the thought. I looked at my brother with a sincere look in my eyes.

"Thank you, Riegan."

For giving me a friend.

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><p>Hope you all liked this as much as I did. Review! :)<p> 


	8. Chapter 8: It's Just A Stupid Book

A/N: And I'm back! I just wanna thank everyone for reviewing! You have no idea how much your comments mean to me so thanks :)

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the plot.

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><p>"Hades, did you just say thank you?" Riegan asked. I think it's safe to assume he wasn't expecting my thanks. I bet none of my siblings were.<p>

"Yes. I just thanked you. Just accept it already," I teased.

"Why are you thanking me?" he questioned.

"Because." He gave me one of those I-can't-believe-how-immature-you are look. But the truth is, I didn't want him to know. At least, not right this moment. He'll soon figure it out. Ha! As if! I must've laughed out loud since Riegan as well as my other siblings were giving me curious looks.

I smiled sheepishly at them but made no reason to tell them. Someone was bound to figure it out, I hoped. It was only a matter of time before someone put the pieces together. Riegan was the reason I had Nico. As a friend, of course. I wonder when I was ever going to stop mentioning him like that. As my friend. I don't want to keep calling him Nico, my friend. It's a little mouthful, don't you think?

I know I'm only calling him that in my head but still. One day, I'll just call him Nico.

"Let's go to dinner!" I exclaimed happily. They still had the same shocked expression on their faces but now it was mixed with a bit of amusement. Lilia unexpectedly clapped her hands together in one fluid motion, and her face lit up.

I knew this look and gesture. It meant she suddenly thought of something that she might've forgotten. Everyone knew this look so we waited for her to explain her thoughts.

She blushed when she realized we were watching, and I guess she wasn't used to all the immediate attention when she did her little 'move'.

"Three days, Arabelle!" she squealed. "Three days 'til your birthday!"

All of my siblings beamed at me and looked at me with compassion and love in their eyes. Even Riegan.

I loved my family.

_._._._._._._._._._._._._._

"I AM SO BEHIND!" I yelled frantically. Everyone in my cabin immediately stood up and held a fighting stance. They all looked at my direction and confusion flashed on their faces.

"We heard yelling..." Malcom said.

"What happened?" Riegan finished for him. My cheeks turned a light pink when I realized what had happened.

I woke all my siblings up because I wasn't finish with a book that I was suppose to finish yesterday.

I gave them a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. Go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you guys up."

They didn't move from where they were. Annabeth raised an eyebrow at me. I suddenly felt really embarrassed. Gah, I wish I could've kept my mouth shut.

"I'm behind at reading a book." Instantly, my siblings groaned, but Lilia was laughing. She gave me a care-free smile before asking me what book I was reading.

"Uh...Anna and the French Kiss."

"WHAT!" my brothers screamed. I should've known this was gonna happen.

Now before you go reacting like my brothers, it's not mainly about French kissed, you sick people. It's a really good, great love story. I cried about a hundred times so far while I was reading the book.

I just couldn't believe that her best friend was screwing the guy she liked!

Can you imagine that? Finding out that your best friend was fucking the guy you liked, and you only found out when HE said it. Yeah, that's right. She didn't tell Anna. They talked, and she didn't even mention it at all.

A great friend, huh?

"You know what? I'm not gonna bother explaining this wonderful, heartwarming book so please just get out. I'm gonna read in peace."

"Arabelle..." Riegan said in a threatening voice.

"Reigan." My tone was the complete opposite of his, though. Mine was calm. Deathly calm. The kind of calm you see when you know exactly what's gonna happen if someone doesn't do what they're suppose to do.

"Give me the book," he demanded.

"No way in Tartarus."

"Arabelle, I swear-"

"Riegan. Aveil. Shut. The. Hell. Up." He opened his mouth to say something, and that's when I snapped.

"It's just a fucking book! You really think I'm gonna read a book only filled with kissing and all that shit? I'm not fucking like that, and you know it, Riegan.

You're making a big deal out of nothing. It's a book. It's not a video. It's not an instructional manual on how to French kiss if that's what you're thinking about. Do you really think I would get that kind of book? Hell, guess what? Lilia got me that book! Yeah, she got me that book. If you wanna blame someone, then blame her!"

Riegan was shocked at my outburst while Leila was nodding in approval. Good, she wasn't mad at me. I thought she was gonna be angry at me because I told Riegan to blame it on her. After the shockingness faded away, Riegan looked pissed. Uh-oh. I did not want to be here for this.

Mom? Mom. Okay, Apollo, Aphrodite, whoever's listening, please, please, save me from the wrath of my brother. Please? I'll do whatever. Send me a scroll or something! Just save me!

Dammit. I shouldn't have said that because after I said that short prayer, a voice interrupted Riegan, "Is this a bad time?"

Aw, crap.

I just remembered. I prayed to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Love. Mother fn love. I wonder how I'm gonna survive this.

Nevertheless, I smiled at my savior and shook my head. "Nope. Actually, you came at the perfect time. I'll see you, guys, later."

_._._._._._._._.

"That wasn't the perfect time, wasn't it?" he asked. I smiled at him sheepishly.

"It was the perfect for me. Riegan . . . not so much," I explained. He laughed, and I looked at him with a questioning look.

"Only you would think of escaping your brother's fury," he chuckled. "What are you? Scared?"

"Pfft, in your dreams, Di Angelo. I could've yelled at him all day as a matter of fact."

He didn't look convinced, and I didn't blame him. You wouldn't expect a small girl to hold so much so much anger bottle up inside her small body. Ever heard of the phrase:

Big things come in small packages?

"So, what was it you two were fighting about?" he asked curiously.

We were walking gods know where. We didn't actually have a destination in mind, but that didn't matter. We just want each other's company.

"I was reading a book, and my brother blew it out of proportions when I told him the title," I rolled my stormy gray eyes.

"What was it?"

"Anna and the French Kiss."

Here we go again . . .

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><p>AN: Yes, boring chapter, wasn't it? I am deeply sorry for that. Hopefully, I'll make better chapters. Oh, and the book that was mentioned? It's real, okay? And it's amazing. I have it and you'll fall in love with it. I swear on the River of Styx that you will. I am really sorry if there's any mistakes, but I'm only human.

I know it's not much of a chapter, but review?

:)


	9. Chapter 9: Glasses & Sluts

**A/N: Hello everyone! Well, this is a long chapter for you! Or at least . . . it's a longer one than usual. I'll never understand how authors can write so much words in a chapter. **

**HEADS UP: Arabelle's birthday is in three days. I just want to mention that. All of this is in the same day ****that Riegan bitched at her about the book. This takes place in the afternoon, though. I'll probably explain how she was able to go back into her cabin next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Never have, never will, but I do own Arabelle Camille :)**

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><p>I was alone at my cabin, wearing my black, thin glasses. Everyone had gone somewhere doing something whilst I, being myself, stayed in the cabin, reading a book. To all those people who say reading is stupid:<p>

Fuck you.

I could go on and on how books are the gateways to a magical realm. How books are so much better than reality. How easily I can connect to all these characters. Yes, I could talk _forever _about books, but my thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the wooden door had flung open.

The minute I saw who it was, I quickly tried to pry my glasses away and pushed it under my pillow. I started praying to every god I knew that he didn't see my glasses, but apparently, the gods weren't on my side today. Nico had currently taken the glasses from my pillow and examined it.

"What up with the glasses?" He shook it for emphasis. I clenched my hands to stop myself from slapping his head. I was worried that my glasses would break so to speak, and him shaking it didn't really help.

"I wear glasses." Of course, I didn't say that the first time he asked me. I said those words under my breath, and I definitely knew Nico didn't hear it. In fact, even _he _knew I was going to pull something like that off and so he waited. He waited for me to repeat my sentence.

I repeated those three words quickly in hoped that he didn't hear them. He did of course. His normal expression didn't change as I told him about my insecurity. My glasses were things I wasn't too fond of. I didn't hate them like you think I do, but have you ever seen a demigod wearing glasses?

You probably had never seen one because demigods _don't _wear glasses. At least, I'd never saw one. I was fairly positive I was the only one. Who to blame, you ask? It was my entire fault, naturally.

As a young, stubborn determined girl, I put all my time into reading. Words were so confusing, and I hated that I couldn't read properly. I spent most of my time, cooped up in my room, trying to decipher the letters on the book. Most nights, my dad would not allow me to stay up.

That didn't stop me, however. I would stay up all night reading and reading and reading. There wasn't a lamp in my room, and if I turned on the lights, my dad would surely see. I had to rely on the moon for light.

After all those late night reading, my eyesight started getting blurry. Not only can I not focus on the words on the board, I couldn't _see _them. I told my dad about my predicament, and he gave me glasses. I was okay with it before, but now?

Can you imagine someone who had glasses, fighting off a hellhound?

The scene would be hysterical.

"How come you don't wear it?" His question took me off guard. He didn't laugh; he didn't make any comment about it. He just asked that question as if we were having a normal conversation and asked me _'What's your favorite color?' _

"I don't like wearing it." In public is what I don't tell him. "You should wear it." He didn't skip a beat after my sentence. "If you're fighting a monster, you need to be able to see. You can't kill a monster with blurry eyes. You need to be able to see clearly or else you could get _killed_."

I was astounded by his words of wisdom. I never thought Nico was dumb. I just didn't expect him giving me advice. I could hear the low chuckle escape from his mouth when he saw my dumbfounded expression. He moved closer to where I was brushed my hair back so he could see my ears.

He carefully placed the glasses in front of my eyes and smiled at the sight. "You look cute with glasses."

I could hear the teasing in his tone, but the sincerity in his eyes said otherwise. He actually thought I looked cute with my glasses on. Not wanting him to see what kind of effect he had on me, I rolled my eyes.

"Only _you _would say that."

_._._._._._.

"Well, well, well," the voice was evil. Those three words never meant anything good. In books, something always went wrong after the evil person said those words. I stopped walking as I took in the appearance of a smirking daughter of Aphrodite. How can I tell?

She's blonde and her clothes look like a stripper. She looked older than me, maybe fifteen or sixteen. Her blonde hair was unnaturally curled, and I could only shudder at how long that took. She barely had anything on. Her clothes shouldn't even be called clothes. Second layer of skin is what I would call it. Her shorts were so high up they should be underwear, and her shirt. Oh gods, her shirt! It was pink—I know, right?—and it looked super tight.

How the hell can she _breathe _in those things?

I didn't need anymore clues on who her parent was. I had no idea why the hell she was smirking at me, and I didn't want to find out, but of course, she was gonna tell me anyway.

"I never saw you around before. Now I can see why. Your glasses make me want to puke on them." She faked gagged, and I had to stifle a laugh. Her insult was _very _smart. I had to bite my tongue to refrain myself from giggling.

"Do I know you?" I probably didn't, and I'm glad. I was so happy I hadn't met someone as disgusting as her before.

"Honey, _everyone _knows me. I'm Candy," she gloated. "With a 'K', btw."

Even her _name_ sounded like a stripper. I was _serious_. She couldn't even spell her _own _name right.

"And why should I know this?" I really wanted to get away from this girl. She was a slut, from what I can tell, and I just don't do sluts.

"Because I'm popular," was the only thing she said to me. This was really, really stupid. This felt like a clichéd scene from a book, and I just wanted to skip the next chapter. "And because you're a loser, and _all _losers know my name."

I would lie if I said that didn't bother me.

"Who the fuck do you think you are!" I spat. "Just because you're a hoe doesn't make you better than everyone. I don't even know why you're in camp! This is a place for training, not for fucking around with random guys." My jaw was clenched, and it took e everything I had in me, not to throw my sword in her heart.

If she had one.

"At least, _I _can get guys."

"I'm fucking thirteen, bitch. Does it look like I want a boyfriend?" She was fucking irritating the hell out of me, now. If she didn't stop, things were going to get violent, and I might not have been in a lot of fights, but I know who would win.

The corpse in my closet would probably be the proof.

"Oh please, I see the way you look at Nico." Her fake eyes sent a glare. How do I know it's fake? Because it's blue, and she had brown eyes. It's obvious those are fake, and she doesn't even _need _contacts.

I bet you every book I had that she just wanted to change her eye color.

"Nico is _fourteen_."

"And available," she added. "Someone with a body like that won't escape me." She licked her lips, and I shuddered.

Ew.

Was she really talking about how she's gonna seduce my friend?

It's disturbing, though, that she would want a fourteen-year-old boy. Sadly, though, I could see why.

Nico might be young, but four years of training certainly made him look older. His body was tall and lean. His body was toned, and he didn't have _too _much muscles. I swear, guys who look like the Incredible Hulk freak me out.

I decided that I would save Nico from this slut because . . . well because. Do I need another reason why I should save him?

With some sort of a plan, I began my act. "Hate to break it you, _honey_, but he isn't available." I tried sending her a fake overprotective glare, and I prayed it looked like one.

"Who says?" Her eyes said she didn't believe me.

"_I _do, actually. So just fuck off and screw yourself." Please, please, please just go away. The amount of hate I had for her was astounding, to say the least. I never knew you could hate someone this much. I turned around, preparing to stomp off, but her voice stopped me.

"Don't kid yourself, darling. Why would he _want _you?" For starters, I wasn't a slut like you were, but I couldn't bring myself to say it. I didn't want to give her the satisfactory of winning and so I pointedly ignored her comment and walked away.

"He'll never want you!" I didn't stop or turn around. She laughed, "I hope you know that!"

I did know that.

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><p><strong>I kind of know that a 13 year old wouldn't say that sorta shit to someone who's 15 or 16, but Arabelle isn't a normal 13 year old. She reads a lot of books, and I think it's safe to assume that she's older than her actual age.<strong>

**I hope you like it; leave me a review and tell me what you think :]**


	10. Chapter 10: BFF's

**A/N: Hello, my lovelies! I am back with another chapter! I am so glad you all love ArabellexNico :) I have such BIG plans for them. Now, I just want to remind you all that this won't be one of those fast-pace couple thing. I'm taking this nice and easy because...well...I think they need one of those stories here. **

**If all of you will be able to hold on to the fact that they won't get together as fast as you want them to be, you'll LOVE how the story unfolds.**

**Enjoy :)**

**Review please. Just a simple ':)' or a 'Update!' really makes my day ;]**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I'm not Rick. I just like using Nico Di Angelo as the love interest in my stories.  
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><p><strong>Arabelle's POV<strong>

"I've never been inside your cabin, you know." After my little showdown with Candy - I didn't give a fuck how she spelled her name - Nico "coincidentally" ran into me as I made my way back to my cabin. I wanted to laugh hysterically and tell him how ironic it is to bump into him after I kind of told one of camp's biggest gossipers that we were dating.

Instead, we were on one of our special little "walks" where we just went anywhere, talking about anything.

"I never learned you last name either," he countered with a smile. Yeaup, I could definitely see why girls fell for him. If he was so 'hot', then why did Nico tell me they treated him like trash?

He probably wasn't interested in any of them. Maybe that's why they're so cold to him; because he didn't think any of them were good enough. On the other hand, he said he didn't spend a lot of time talking to demigods so that meant he spent his time at the Underworld, right? If so, I wondered what he did when he was down there. There couldn't be a lot of things he could do.

"Arabelle?" His voice shook me from my thoughts, and I gave him a sheepish smile. I couldn't believe I got distracted. That hardly ever happened to me.

"I'm sorry; just thinking. What were we talking about?" He smiled at me. "Oh, yeah. Last name . . . umm, Camille."

"Arabelle Camille," he repeated. It was refreshing hearing my full name. I smiled at Nico before remembering something.

"Oh, by the way, I ran into Candy today, and guess what?" My smile turned mischievously into a smirk. "I think she's got a thing for you." I winked at him and playfully bumped my shoulder with his.

I laughed after seeing his horrified expression. He shuddered. "That girl needs to learn the concept of personal space. I swear, her claws need to be kept intact before it could actually hurt someone."

Of course, this caused me to laugh even more. Even Nico had cracked a smile. I contemplated on whether I should tell about what I said or not. I silently agreed that he had a right to know that I saved his ass. It was only fair that I would get something in return, right?

Ha-ha, kidding. Sort of.

"Well, let's hope my little talk with her put her into place." He had an amused smile on his face. Huh. I was hoping for a different reaction, but I guess not.

"Continue," he motioned, his smile still intact.

"You're not surprised?" He shook his head before answering, "It's kind of an Arabelle-thing." He shrugged. "I think I know you well enough to not be surprised by your tactics."

"Friends?" I asked, hopeful. He laughed at my expression. I raised my hand to smack him, but apparently, he knew that, too, because he stopped it in mid-swing. He didn't let go of my hand, though.

"Best friends," he agreed. My mouth blossomed into a smile, which he happily mirrored.

"Really?" If my smile could get any bigger, it would permanently stay that way. Even now, my cheeks were starting to hurt.

"You're the only person I have ever been so close to," he confessed. "If that's not being a best friend, then I don't know what is." I grinned at my _best _friend before engulfing my arms around him, tightly.

I couldn't remember hugging anyone _this _tight before. My smile softened when I felt his arms wrap around me in an equally tight manner, also. I enjoyed this moment. I wanted someone to take a picture of us so I could fall asleep to it every night to remind myself that I wasn't alone.

That I finally had someone I could call my best friend.

I didn't know or care how long we just stood there. This was _our _moment, and I hoped that we would have a lot of those in the future. To be honest, I couldn't imagine my life without him anymore.

"You and me against the world," I heard him say softly. I let out a small, gentle chuckle at his words but fully agreed with him.

"Always." I could see him smile even though he wasn't in my line of vision. I was sure of it now. Nico Di Angelo was my best friend, and he would always be my best friend. He would always be the one I could turn to when I needed someone. He would always be the person I would look for when I needed advice.

I was sure of it now.

I pulled back and found his grin plastered on his face. I laughed at his happiness but smiled afterwards.

"So what now, best bud?" He bumped my shoulder playfully.

"Oh, you know how I mentioned I talked to Candy?" He nodded. "I told her we were sort of dating."

I left him with his mouth open. When I put enough distance between us, I turned around to find him firmly in place. I laughed at his expression, and the sound of it seemed to snap him out of his daze.

"Get back here, Arabelle Camille!" I laughed at him instead and ran again.

"In your dreams, Nico Di Angelo!" I shot back without a second thought. We continued our little cat and mouse game, laughing every minute of it. I was sure that I would run out of stamina by now, but I wasn't going to give in so quickly.

I couldn't hear any footsteps behind me and so I slowed down momentarily, taking in my surroundings. From here, I could see a rock that was big enough to for one of my feet. The gods must have been on my side today because there was a tree branch coincidentally next to it. If I leaned to the right a bit, I should be able to grasp the branch.

Once my hand was safely gripping the wood, I used my other hand to hold onto it, too. I flipped myself onto the branch in one fluid motion. I let out a breath of relief once I was standing, laying my palm on the trunk to keep me from falling over. I slowly sat down with my hands still on the trunk.

_Thank gods, I'm okay._

"Boo!"

"Mother fu—AHHH!"

That was me, losing my balance, and falling off a tree.

_Oh gods, help me._


	11. Chapter 11: I'm Not Dead Yay

**A/N: OHMYGODS, we got 17 reviews last chapter! Keep reviewing, and I might just pair them up a little bit earlier than planned (;**

**I'm glad all of you liked the last chapter. No, I didn't forget Arabelle's birthday. I'll probably put that next chapter. Gods, this was a long chapter. Most of you won't probably read everything but please still review!**

**So I know people usually get broken bones when they fall but this is FICTION, okay? Just remember that.  
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**Disclaimer: If I owned PJO, I wouldn't have broken up Percabeth like that.  
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><p><strong>Arabelle's POV<strong>

I wasn't too far up and so I didn't fall too long. My back was the first thing that got attacked by the ground, and pain instantly shot throughout my body. I moaned at the pain and tried to get up, but my body was failing me. I couldn't feel anything, which scared the hell out of me. My body was numb, and the pain wasn't helping either and so I lay here, parlayed.

I didn't know whether to be thankful that I fell on grass or not because it hurt either way.

"Oh gods, oh gods, I am _so _going to die after this." I could hear someone's worried mutters. They were obviously from Nico, and it surprised me that I was able to think. Shouldn't pain be the only thing on my mind right about now?

"Arabelle? Can you hear me? Oh gods, please, please, _please, _don't die. Your siblings are going to start war if they found out I killed you."

I wanted to slap him if I could, to be honest. Here I was, on the ground, with my back feeling like someone split my whole body into two pieces and they were slowly pulling both sides apart, and I was thinking of slapping Nico. You couldn't really blame me, though. He just said it aloud that he was scared of my family's _wrath_, not my _well-being_.

It hurt, to say the least.

I tried to shout at him, but as I said before, my body wasn't responding to me this moment. He quickly scooped me into his arms and ran straight to the infirmary. I didn't know how long he ran or anything. My mind was slowly fading, and I couldn't remember where I was or what I did.

"If you wake up, I promise I'll get you anything you want for your birthday." Who was talking so loud? Why couldn't said person shut up for a moment? I was trying to fall asleep peacefully, but his voice was blocking me for that.

Stupid, sleep blocker.

"Dammit, she's still not walking up…Um, okay, so you probably can't hear me right now, but you _can't _die. Why? Because you're the first friend I had ever have and I don't want to lose you so quickly. You're the only person who knows so much about me, and you don't care if people talk about us, and there's just no one likes you… So um…if you die…um, know that you're my best friend and that I care for you more than anybody and…can you tell my father that I'll meet him there after your siblings kill me when I tell them you died?" He wasn't good at this, I was sure.

I didn't think he worried about anybody as much as he did now before I stumbled into his life. His little speech wasn't even long. It didn't have any sentiment or anything, and I was basically criticizing him in my head for the lack of grief that I was expected. Okay, so I wasn't expecting him to full on cry, but I did want him to say something like he'll miss me or something. I mean, he did say some nice thing about me but he could've just said 'I'll miss you forever" or "I'll never forget you" or something clichéd as that.

"Nico Di Angelo, you give the worst good-bye speech _ever_." I inwardly sighed, happy that even though I was in the infirmary, my sarcasm was still with me. My eyes were still shut; I didn't want to see anything right now.

I could hear the shuffling of feet and the next thing I knew, I felt a slight pressure on my hand.

Huh. The son of Hades was holding my hand.

Oddly, I found this strange but comforting of this little fact. Nico Di Angelo was _comforting me_. Didn't you find that a bit strange or was it just me? I sighed contently as he started rubbing smooth circles on my hand. It felt nice, for a lack of better words. It was nice of him to stay here with me. It was nice of him to _be _here with me.

I do wonder, though, how he was going to explain himself. I wanted to laugh at him and tell him how amazing his speech was. Ah, yes, I _so _wanted to do that, but sadly, I couldn't.

"You're alive?" His tone held so much hope and astonishment that it irritated me.

"Please," I scoffed. "Like I would die from falling of a tree." I would've rolled my eyes now if they were opened, but I just didn't feeling like opening them, so I didn't.

"It's possible, you know. You could've fallen on your head, and blood would've been leaking out, and then, I would start to panic on how the hell I was going to save you, but you would be slowly dying every time I wasted a second on thinking about how to save you, and when I finally scoop you up and run you to the informatory, you would already be dead in my arms, and then I would have to explain to the Apollo kids why I was carrying a dead daughter of Athena, and I guess they would tell your siblings, and I'm _sure _that they would—"

"Nico?" My tone was soft, gentle. It was so innocent; I could've believed it myself.

"Yes?"

"Shut. Up." He completely obliged, which wasn't what I was expecting.

See, when you tell someone to shut up, they're suppose to tell you something witty and then continue to talk. I didn't expect him to listen to me without questions. It was hard to find someone like that, and I didn't know if I _wanted _someone like that. I mean, sure it would be nice to have a friend who would completely do your will, but…wouldn't it get boring if they listened to you every time?

My gray eyes opened; I turned my head to the right a bit, and my eyes met with Nico's brown orbs.

It was one of those moments when you wanted to say something mushy to get that other person to smile.

I was lost, confused, and slightly awkward. "Um, you know when someone tells you to shut up, you don't listen to them, right?" I never said I was good at this, did I?

Nico cracked a smile at my question, and my mouth lifted on its own actions. When did smiling at him become instinctual?

"I suppose not. I don't usually listen to people, but you're the only exception." His reply was calm and coolly. There wasn't a trace of hesitation or awkwardness in that sentence.

"Isn't that a song?" I asked him. His words did sound familiar, or at least, the last part of it.

"I don't know. I'm not the smart one, you tell me," he replied.

I shook my head at his remark. "I'm good to go, right? You gave me some ambrosia, didn't you?"

When he nodded, I pulled the covers off me and planted my feet on the ground. My bones felt as good as new. I didn't think I broke any, though, so that's probably a good thing. Thank gods, I didn't climb too far up. Imagine what would happen if I did…I shuddered at the possibility.

"Are you cold?" Nico asked me concerned. I gave him a convincing smile before shaking my head.

"Just imagining what would have happened if I had climbed higher." Immediately, Nico's expression turned serious and remorseful.

"Arabelle I'm so, so, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that, but I just saw you up in that tree, and I just wanted to frighten you a bit, but I _never _meant for you to fall down. Please, please, please, don't get mad at me. You're the most important person in my life, and I can't lose you. _Please._"

"You never had a friend before, have you?" I ask. It was touching that Nico was apologizing to me seriously, and he really was scared of losing me. He thought that since I almost died that I might not want to be friends with him anymore.

That's bullshit.

He nodded. "I'm sorry."

"You won't get rid of me so easily, Di Angelo. Just because I fell of some stupid tree doesn't mean I don't want to be your best friend anymore. It's gonna take a whole lot for our friendship to end. And besides, you take things _wayyy _to seriously. I fell of a tree, big whoop," I said sarcastically.

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because you're a daughter of Athena, and you almost died so I thought…" he didn't know how to finish that sentence.

I laughed. "I was going to retaliate and push _you _off a tree?"

"Maybe?"

"Ha-ha. Whatever. I'm gonna go now. It's late. My siblings are gonna ask what's up, and _you're _gonna explain it to them with me."

"If they lunge, can you protect me?" he asked.

"We'll see," I grinned.

After an hour of my siblings yelling at poor Nico, I was finally able to rest. Honestly, I really didn't expect them to shout at him for so long. I mean, I knew how much they cared about me but screaming death threats at my best friends wasn't going to stop things from hurting me.

I almost laughed at Nico's horrified expression. He didn't show it in his expression, of course, but I knew him well enough to know he was peeing his pants on the inside. That and because he was slightly behind me.

My siblings hadn't notice it so they continued to yell at him. Once they were finally done, I had walked him towards the door. I'd said good night to him, and he'd replied back with, "I'm happy I didn't lose you. Good night."

I wanted to hug him to death when he said that but figured my siblings would yell at _me _this time.

Three more days to my birthday…

_._._._.

"Tomorrow's your birthday," Nico bumped my shoulder. We were on one of our special walks. Yeah, _those_.

"I'm gonna be fourteen," I replied, excited but controlled.

"I'm still gonna be older than you," he commented. I bumped my shoulder to his this time. I naturally rolled my eyes at his immature sentence but couldn't help myself to laugh.

"Are you getting me anything?" I wanted him to. I didn't really care on what he got me as long as he got me something.

"I have something," he replied nonchalantly. I immediately squealed to which he laughed. I groaned when I realized how Aphrodite my squeal sounded.

Note to self: Never squeal.

"Remind me to never do that again," I grumbled.

"I don't know; I like your squeals."

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><p><strong>P.S. Nico didn't catch her. haha. <strong>


	12. Chapter 12: Three Is The Magic Number

**A/N: Well, here it is! I hope you like it :) Please review!**

**Oh, and guess what? We had this ballroom dance competition thing, and we won! Yea, I was in it! It was judged by grade level so our class won out of the entire 7th grade!**

**I wanted to make this chapter long, TBH.I _really, really, _wanted to, but then I realized some of you might skip it all to get to the dialogue. How many of you do that? 'cause I do that, too! x)  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

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><p><strong>Arabelle's POV<strong>

"I'll be back for the party later. I'm meeting up with Nico," I informed my siblings. Annabeth raised a brow, but her amused smirk told me something else. Riegan, on the other hand, continued to scowl every time I mentioned my best friend.

I didn't know what his problem was with Nico. He was a good guy at heart, and I knew he would _never _hurt me—at least, not intentionally. I had to bite down on my tongue to keep myself from smiling at the memory. I found it absolutely adorable to find the son of Hades mentally quivering at the shouts of my siblings.

Annabeth, bless her soul, spoke before Riegan had a chance to open up his mouth. "Don't be out too late, Arabelle." She winked at me, and for some reason, I knew that she wouldn't mind if I _did _stay out too late with Nico.

Hades, I wouldn't mind either, but my _other _siblings (cough, cough, Riegan)…

"I know, I know. See you guys later." I waved to my siblings before I stepped out. They replied back with a choruses of "Happy Birthday!" and with Riegan yelling "I'm finding you if you don't come back!"

I chuckled. I met with Nico at _our _tree. Yea, I emphasized on the 'our' part. Why, you ask? Because I was really, really excited that Nico and I got to share some thing. It was very sentimental, actually. Nico, of course, found it the complete opposite. You see, _our _tree (Yeah, I kept italicizing it. Sue me.) was actually the same tree I fell off.

Nico thought of it as a bad omen. He believed that it was just a reminder that he almost lost me. I swear, that boy needed to loosen up. I fell off a tree. Big deal. It's not like I died or anything. I _almost _died. There's a difference, if you didn't know. I did have to agree, though, that I found it sweet that he cared about me this much.

Walking towards the tree, I felt familiar arms wrap around me. I relished the feeling of his warmth before turning to face him and wrapping my own arms around his waist as well. He kissed the top of my head and said, "Happy Birthday, Arabelle." He held me in his arms for who knows how long, and I loved every second of it.

He pulled away, and I almost laughed at his reluctance. "So…where's my present?" I asked, trying not to sound too eager.

Naturally, Nico saw right through it. He laughed, "_Very _subtle, Arabelle." I wanted to roll my eyes but restrained myself. Today was my birthday; I was going to be nice. _He_ should be the one being nice, though. It is _my _birthday, not _his. _

"So is that a yes or a no?" I hoped he got me something. It would be very sad if he didn't. Wouldn't you be sad if your best friend didn't get you anything for your birthday? I didn't expect a huge, expensive gift from him. I just wanted _something _from here. Anything. Anything at all. Did that make me sound desperate?

"Close your eyes," Nico ordered. I raised an eyebrow but complied. I could hear the movement of his feet and felt his presence behind me. He pushed my hair to the side, and I could feel something cold surrounding my neck. When I opened my eyes and looked down, I smiled when I saw an owl. It was a beautiful silver chain and in the middle of it was a golden owl.

"It's beautiful," I said softly. "Thank you," I said, looking up to him.

He smiled. "That's not the end of it."

_There's more? _

Before I could ask, he sprinted behind the tree. When he came back, he was carrying a journal, and from where I could see (thanks to my glasses), something was wedged between the pages. He handed me the journal and said, "Here."

I ran my hand across the over and saw there was a lock. It only took a few seconds for me to realize that the key was in the shape of my owl necklace. The lock was open.

I flipped through the pages until I landed on an object. It was small, maybe the size of one of my fingers (I have small fingers). Two circles were the shape that covered the object. I held my notebook out to Nico, silently asking him to hold it. When he took it out of my hands, I unscrewed the lids and gasped.

"You got me…you got me contacts?" My voice cracked on the last word. Nico shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, but he was wrong.

It was a huge deal.

"I know how much you hate your glasses—even though I find them adorable on you—so I asked an Aphrodite girl if she had some contacts. She completely agreed without hesitation. It was…weird."

I would've laughed if he told me that on another day, but at this moment, I was speechless. "How did you…? How did you get my grade?"

"Annabeth," came his only reply. I kept my eyes on the lenses in front of me. My mind was blank. I couldn't form any coherent thought other than _He got me _three _gifts_. I only expected one. I never could've imagined he would get me something like these gifts.

He gave me _three _gifts. Why couldn't I get passed that? It echoed throughout my surprised mind, and it didn't seem to leave. I wanted to say something, I really did, but I couldn't. When I opened my mouth, nothing would come out.

Nico Di Angelo had managed to silence me completely.

"Do you want to put them on now or later?" he asked. I shook my head. I needed to look in front of a mirror to put them on, and there wasn't a mirror anywhere. I didn't want to run back to my cabin because I wanted to squeeze the life out of Nico, which is exactly what I did.

In one second, I was still staring, and in the next, my arms were wrapped around his neck, and my legs were around his waist. He carried me without a problem, but I could see he was surprised at my sudden attack.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't believe you got me three gifts. I can't believe you got me contacts. I can't believe you got me a journal. I can't believe you got me a necklace. I just—" I squealed. I couldn't help it. It was something that _needed _to be done. Nico laughed when he heard, and I would've hit him if my hands were around his neck. I didn't want to fall again.

"I thought you weren't gonna squeal anymore?" His question was laced with amusement that I found myself smiling.

"What can I say? You bring out the squeals in me." I laughed to which he happily mirrored.

"I love you, did you know that?" I didn't think about my choice of words. I didn't care if he thought I was crazy or insane. I loved Nico without a doubt. He's my best friend, and I didn't deserve him. Don't tell him that, though, or else I would have to kill you.

Nico laughed again. "No, but it's nice to know. I love you, too, by the way."

"Oh my gods, this is the best birthday ever!" I gushed. "Gods, I'm sounding a lot like an Aphrodite girl, which is a very bad thing." I wanted to groan, but the only thing my mouth could do was smile.

This was the best day ever, and nothing could ruin it.

"S'ok, as long as you don't start caring about fashion, I'm all for you acting like Aphrodite." Nico grinned. I buried my head in the crook of his neck before shaking my head.

"I can't believe you got me three gifts," I repeated.

"Technically, I got you two. The necklace and the journal are actually one gift."

I shook my head. "Doesn't matter. You still got me three gifts."

"Well, that's just because I knew that you liked to read, and I knew that you liked to write so now you have something to write on. Who knows? Maybe you'll write down one of your biggest darkest secrets," he teased.

I lifted my head. "I don't have any—"

"ARABELLE FREAKING CAMILLE, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU ON THAT SON OF A BITCH?"

Aw, crap.

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><p><strong>Oh Riegan...why must you ruin the moment? <strong>

**Review :)  
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	13. Chapter 13: The Daughter of Aphrodite

**A/N: Long chapter. I hope you like it :) And 27 reviews? :O You guys are amazing, and I can't thank you enough! **

**Leave me a review :)**

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><p><strong>Arabelle's POV<strong>

"You know, I can't really blame him for calling me _son of a bitch _since my father is kind of—" I glared at Nico, _daring _him to finish that sentence. He quickly shut his mouth in reply and slowly helped me down.

I guess, I could see where Riegan was coming from since I was in an . . . interesting position but still. He shouldn't have shouted at Nico seeing that it was actually my fault. In my brother's eyes, though, I was still innocent.

When Riegan came here, his entire face was burning red. I would've laughed under normal circumstances, but that would probably get me slapped. Something I did not want to happen to me. His gray eyes looked like raging seas during a thunderstorm, and let me tell you, it is _not _pretty.

"Care to explain, Arabelle?" he asked me, narrowing his eyes. I briefly wondered how he found us. Nico and I were in _our _tree. A tree that was just like any other tree. How did my brother find us?

Was he . . . no. He couldn't have been . . . ?

Oh. My. Gods.

"You were stalking us, weren't you?" I was appalled that my brother would follow; didn't he trust me?

"No, I was certainly _not _stalking you, Arabelle. I was just simply—"

"Cut the bull, _Riegan_. You were stalking. I can't believe you would—I thought that you—go away."

This was _my _day. This was _my _birthday. This was the day that everybody's suppose to treat me nicely because it's my special day. Did that include Riegan? Yes. It did. Was he following it? No. He wasn't.

I would not let my brother ruined this perfect day for me. Or at least, it was perfect. After Riegan showed up cussing at my best friend, that _perfect _day dwindled down.

Was I being selfish? Hell yes. I was acting like a spoiled brat, but in my opinion, everyone deserves to be spoiled during their birthday. It wasn't like I was cussing him out or anything, but I did want him to just let me enjoy my day. Was that so hard?

"What?" Apparently, my brother suddenly couldn't understand me. He knew what I had said, though. He was just being a stubborn ass who couldn't take his little sister telling him to go away.

"Go back to the cabin. Go back to your secret girlfriend or whatever. I don't care. Just leave me and Nico alone." I was tired of shouting at him. I was tired of arguing with him as well. If he couldn't accept the fact that I was friends with Nico, then so be it.

"I am not leaving you with—"

"You know, if Arabelle tells you to do something, you probably should listen to her," Nico interrupted.

"And who asked you, Death Boy?" I wanted to tell him how original his nickname was, but Nico beat me to it.

"Is that all you got?" Nico dared.

"Why you—"

"Goodbye, Riegan," I dismissed my brother. "Let's go Nico." I tugged on his hand and bit down on my tongue to keep myself from smiling when he laced our fingers together.

It was weird how first I was completely pissed off, but when Nico entertained our hands, I had to stop myself from smiling. The things this boy does to me.

We turned away from our brother and walked. We didn't care where we were going; we just both knew we needed to get away from there. At least, _I _had to get away from there.

Somehow we ended up on the beach. I didn't even know why we ended up here seeing that our godly parents disliked Poseidon, but if fate brought us here, it was for a reason.

We silently watched as the blue waves calmly splashed against on another. The gleam from the sun seemed to glisten against the water; it looked like it was sparkling. Birds were squawking in the sky, but other than that, everything else was quiet.

"Just go over there!" _Looks like I was wrong..._

Someone muttered a response, and I was glad that person had the decency to lower down her volume. As for her friends, I couldn't say the same thing.

"You have to do it!" another one hissed.

I heard shuffling feet, and the next thing I know, a girl was in front of us.

She looked about my age. Her black straight hair was in front of her face, shielding us from her eyes. One of her hands was grasping on her elbow giving it that "shy" position. She was wearing an orange t-shirt with the name of the camp along with denim shorts.

I didn't know how long she stood there, but I decided to give her a break. She was obviously a shy person, and I didn't want to embarrass her in front of her friends. If they were even classified as friends.

Timidly, she looked up from the ground, and I was momentarily fazed by her hazel eyes. "I'm sorry for bothering you, but my sisters," she glanced behind her, "are making me. Um, I don't really want to do this, and I'll probably end up lying to them anyway, but they sort of want me to ask you out." She blushed at the ground again, and it took me a minute to realized she was talking about Nico.

"You don't have to say yes or anything," she quickly added. "I'm not really looking for a boyfriend since I'm kind of a hopelessly romantic because I read a lot of books, but my sisters believe that I should get one and break his heart since apparently, it was a "rite of passage". I don't believe it, of course, because I could never manipulate someone's feelings just to appease my sisters, but Drew is forcing me to, and I can't stand up to her because she can "charmspeak" me, and—"

"You're a daughter of Aphrodite?" Nico asked, shocked. She glanced at him before looking at the ground again and nodded her head. She looked so embarrassed I just wanted to hug her right now.

Nico felt bad for her as well because he was apologizing afterwards. "I'm sorry; it's just that you don't really seem like someone from Aphrodite." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck.

"It's okay," she quietly said. "Um, I guess I should leave you two alone since you're probably on a date." Her eyes were staring at our joined fingers, and we quickly pulled apart instinctively.

"No, we're not dating," I told her. "And don't leave. Not yet, anyways. What's your name?"

Shocked flickered in front of her face before hiding it again behind her hair. "N-Natalie. My name's Natalie."

"Well, I'm—"

"Arabelle, I know," she interjected. "And you're Nico."

I didn't know how she knew who I was, but she didn't look like the person who would stab you in the back. That could be all an act, though, but something in my gut told me it wasn't.

"Do you want to hang out with us for a while? Today's my birthday, and we're celebrating it in my cabin, and I would really like it if you came with us."

"I don't know. I mean, I would like to, but I'm afraid that I won't talk much, and I don't want to intrude on anything..."

"You're not intruding," I told her.

"And we'll get you to talk," Nico promised. I looked at him and so did Natalie. She had a confused expression where as I were thinking what the hell he was talking about. He didn't seem to pay attention to me since he his gaze was focusing on Natalie, which caused her to look down again.

"We'll ask you questions about yourself. That way you'll be the subject of attention, and we'll get to know you better."

Her head quickly snapped up at his words and quickly shook her head. She was speaking hurriedly, "No, no, no. That's okay. I don't really like extra attention, and I'm sure your siblings won't like you befriending an Aphrodite girl."

"How do you know?" I asked her.

"I don't," she admitted. "I just . . . I guess you can say, I'm just really good at reading people."

"It's settled then. You're hanging out with us, _and_ you're coming back with us to Arabelle's party, okay?"

When he smiled, I could see that Natalie was wavering. I didn't know if I was jealous, but there was an ugly feeling stirring in the pit of my stomach. I wasn't going to show it, though. Natalie wasn't doing anything wrong, and Nico didn't belong to me.

"Okay, then." For the first time, I saw her smile. She looked even more beautiful when her hair wasn't covering, and she was smiling. I wondered if Nico saw that, too.

By the time we went back, it was already late afternoon. The sun was about to set, and I was glad we didn't have another run-in with my brother.

We learned some stuff about Natalie as well. She was so different from her siblings. She was actually down-to-earth, and I couldn't fathom why any boy wouldn't want her. When she laughed when I mentioned that, I was puzzled.

"Oh, I know some boys want me," she confessed. "I just don't want _them_. I, I guess you can say, have certain . . . expectations that they can't reach." She chuckled.

"What are your expectations?" Nico asked. Was he interested in her? Did he _like _her? Did she like him, too?

Why was I thinking about this? It was okay if Nico liked her. I couldn't control who he liked or who he went after. If Natalie liked him, too, then that would be great, wouldn't it? I shouldn't be secretly hoping that neither of them liked each other.

I shouldn't, but I was.

"For starters, that guy has to be nice. There is now way I'm going to be with a guy who treats me like shit." I never heard her cussed before. I figured she didn't like it, so when she cussed, I noticed. Apparently, Nico noticed as well because he laughed when she said that.

"He has to call me nicknames like 'honey' or 'beautiful' or other cheesy stuff like that. I don't know why I like it, but I just do, you know? I also want him to give me compliments just because. I don't want a guy who says nice things just because he wants something.

Honestly? I just want a guy to love me. I want him to pick me over other girls. I want him to hold me when I cry and not ask questions. I want him to just stare at me when he thinks I'm not looking and find love and adoration in his eyes."

Her eyes went a little dreamy, and I supposed she was imagining who that guy could be. She really did have some high expectations. Boys in this generation couldn't pull those off.

"I think that's the most words I heard coming from your mouth," Nico grinned.

Natalie smiled, her eyes looking at the ground in front of her as we continued to walk. "When you ask me stuff like romance, I'll talk a lot. It's probably because of my mom or something. I don't hate it, of course. I really do like romance, especially love but . . .

People throw "I love you" like it's some catchphrase. They say it without even knowing the meaning of it, and they say that they mean it when they don't. People say hate is a strong word, right?"

"Yea," I answered.

"Well, so is love, and people throw that around like it's nothing. It sort of bugs me when they say those three words when they can barely speak a decent conversation."

"It bugs me, too," I smiled, happy that we had something in common. "I mean, they won't even look each other in the eye because they're so embarrassed, and next thing you know, they're declaring their love for each other by texting or some stupid thing like that."

"It is stupid. If they say it, they should mean. And when they say it, they should do it face-to-face," Natalie agreed.

"Do you think . . . do you think that people our age can actually _feel _love?" Nico asked the daughter of Aphrodite. His question threw me off. I almost forgot he was there. He was so quiet during our "love" conversation.

"I think anything's possible," she shrugged. "Sure, people misuse love, but I do believe that there are some out there who truly know love, and they want to know how it feels like, no?"

"I am so glad I finally have a girl to talk to about stuff like this," I told Natalie. She beamed at me, "I'm glad, too. It's hard for me . . . to make friends, with me being shy as hell and stuff. Now, that I have you guys—" she looked between me and Nico "—I don't feel so alone, anymore."

"Hey, look, now we can finally be the Three Musketeers," Nico teased. We all laughed.

"You sure your siblings won't mind if I come?" Natalie asked, hesitantly as we stood in front of the wooden door.

"I'm sure," I smiled.

"And you won't leave me alone, right?" She looked so afraid as if she was a small kid going to school for the first time.

"You'll never be alone now that you have us, Natalie." Her face softened at my words, and she nodded.

Nico opened the door for us. Who knew he could be such a gentleman, and we were all greeted inside with,

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

And one with, "You invited _another _person?"

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><p><strong>Anyone know who that person is? x)<strong>


	14. Chapter 14: Natalie & Nico

**A/N: Hello, everyone! Thanks so much for reviewing, and I love all of your reviews! **

**One of you said that I'm turning myself into an OC. I'm not gonna hide it. A big part of me is super shy like Natalie is, but that's not why I put Natalie into this story.**

**Arabelle needs a girl to talk to. She can't talk to Nico about _everything_. I made Natalie into a "shy" person because I wanted to show that shy people can make awesome friends. There are a lot of people who are too shy or too quiet, and I wanted to show that they can make kick-ass best friends, too. **

**I also wanted to show that sometimes shy people are the ones you have to look out for. **

**My teacher once told me: Beware of the quiet ones. **

**And I just fell in love with that quote. :)**

**Hope you like this chapter!**

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><p>The room was covered in balloons. I wondered whose idea was that, but I would have a blast popping each of them after we were done. Some were just floating; other were scattered on the floor. There was banner that said happy fourteenth birthday to me. The font was in a fancy cursive writing in Greek.<p>

A couple of presents were on my bed, including Nico's own, which caused a smile to present itself on my lips.

Every one of my family was staring at Nico and Natalie. Well, Riegan was actually glaring at Nico. The others were giving curious glances at Natalie.

"Everybody this is Natalie; Natalie this is everybody," I introduced her to my family.

She was back to her shy attitude and smiled nervously. "Hi," she said.

"Hey, you're from the Aphrodite cabin, right?" Malcolm asked. I was puzzled. How did he know her?

"Yea, I am," she replied. She didn't say anything after that.

It got all awkward and quiet after that. I expected it to be, though. Natalie really was shy. She would never initially start a conversation unless you did, and she wouldn't ask a question on her own. You would have to ask her, and she would ask the same question to be polite.

All the boys seemed to find Natalie extremely gorgeous. I couldn't blame them; she truly was a scene.

And with her personality matching with her beauty, she shouldn't have trouble finding a boyfriend.

But she did.

Boys didn't impress her, and I wondered if my best friend did . . .

Natalie kept quiet, and I felt bad for her. I mean, I liked her a lot, but was it a good idea to bring her here? I didn't regret it, but seeing her look so miserable . . .

"Don't feel bad, Arabelle," Natalie said softly. "You were just trying to help. You can't help who I am," she chuckled.

"I know, it's just that—"

"It's fine," she said with a small smile. "Don't worry about it. And I'm not feeling miserable." She winked. "So stop feeling bad for me and enjoy your party. I think it's about time I go back to my cabin," she reluctantly said.

I was glad she wasn't too bummed out here. If she told me not to worry, I wouldn't. She was easy to trust. She wouldn't stab you in the back like some other people do. I was glad to have her as a friend.

"No, stay," I told her. "We can just talk. My siblings don't really play games or anything. We just hang out like we usually do."

She seemed hesitant, but when Nico wrapped his arms around her from behind, she nodded her head. I felt my eyes twitch at the two of them, and I hoped no one saw that. Natalie looked embarrassed, though, having Nico's arms around her.

_Why are you doing that? _I so badly wanted to ask him.

"It'll be fun," Nico promised. "We'll just ask you more questions or you can try to talk to other people," he suggested.

_Or_ you can try keeping your hands to yourself. I didn't realized I was glaring at them until Natalie spoke.

"Nico? Can we talk outside? I need to ask you something." Her timid voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She was nervous, no doubt about it, but she also looked determined.

Nico finally let her go, and I breathe a sigh of relief silently. He nodded his head, albeit puzzle.

She took the lead and Nico followed her. When the door closed, I was panicking.

Okay, I wasn't panicking, per say. I was listing the pros and cons to Nico and Natalie going out, and that was panicking to me.

On one hand, Nico and Natalie looked good together. They already started acting like a couple, and I didn't want to ruin that for them no matter what I was feeling. Nico seemed truly comfortable around her, and Natalie seemed to returned the favor.

Didn't I make him comfortable, too? I erased that thought from my mind.

I didn't own Nico. He could go out with anybody he wants.

On the other hand, Natalie wanted a guy who would kiss and cherish her forever. Nico wasn't the type of guy who cuddles and says cheesy stuff. Natalie might be the one who'd get disappointed if they went out together, and I didn't want that.

How long had it been since they stepped out? A minute? An hour? It sure felt like it, and it took all of my self-control to not eavesdrop.

I trusted the both of them. If there was something going on, surely one of them would tell me, right? They wouldn't try to keep it a secret, would they? It's not as if they could get away with it, either.

I could read Nico like an open book, and I could easily spot something out of place. If they were secretly dating, they were going to fail in the end.

Finally, I heard the sound of the door opening.

_Thank gods . . . _

I didn't know how much of my self-control would last, and the gods were apparently testing me. Natalie came in first, and the way she seemed to glow caused an uneasy feeling boiling in my stomach.

Her expression was full of happiness, but her eyes held a mysterious glint in it as if she had a "dirty little secret".

Nico, on the other hand, looked like he had seen a ghost. His pale skin seemed whiter, and I wanted to laugh at his frozen expression. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was slightly open.

Holy gods, what did Natalie do to him?

"You okay, Nico?" I asked, with a smile.

My mood seemed to brightened immensely since it didn't look like they were together. Natalie was beaming, but Nico looked terrified. That didn't seem like the look you were supposed to have when you get together with somebody.

Natalie was the one to answer for him. "He's fine, Arabelle."

"What happened to him?" I asked, staring at his face.

"Nothing," she replied. "I just asked him a few questions, and it seemed he figured something out. He's kind of scared because of it," she explained.

"Oh." What else could I say?

I wanted to demand answers, but I didn't want to seem rude, _especially _on my birthday.

I didn't know what to say, and it only came to me that I—we—had an audience.

When I scanned the room, all eyes were directly on the three of us, and Annabeth was giving me one of her I-knew-it look.

Yeah, the one where she's smiling and all that stuff? Yeah, _that _look.

"Thanks for inviting me over," Natalie said softly. "I know we just met and all, but I have a good feeling that we're gonna be _great _friends."

There was no doubt in my mind about that.

Nico would always be my best friend, of course, but I did need a girl to talk to when I had to discuss stuff I couldn't with him.

Natalie would be there, though, and I was happy.

"I have to go now. My siblings are probably freaking out why I'm taking so long." She frowned at that thought, and I wanted to ask why, but she already shook her head at me.

Was she reading my mind?

"Bye everyone; it was nice meeting you all," she gave them a small smile. All of them were saying good bye to her, including Riegan.

Huh. Maybe he did have some manners after all.

"See you later, Arabelle," she winked at me. She started stepping through the door when she stopped and looked at Nico. "Oh, and Nico? Try not to screw up."

_Excuse me? _

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><p><strong>P.S. I watched the Hunger Games at midnight. Since Guam is a day ahead, we were the first ones to watch it. Go Guam!<strong>

**Anyways, I didn't cry when Rue did. I know, I'm messed up, aren't I? But strangely, I _did _cry when Peeta and Katniss were talking in the cave, and Peeta was so charming and sweet, and yeah. I cried. My friends were laughing at me. **

**OH! And . . . There's this boy . . . **


	15. Chapter 15: Their First Fight

_******VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE. DO NOT SKIP*******_

_****_**It has been brought to my attention that Leven Rambin, otherwise known as Glimmer from THG, will be playing Clarisse in the Sea of Monsters. I don't know if you noticed, but she looks _nothing _like the Clarisse I imagined. **

**"Clarisse is described as a big, tall girl with long, stringy dirty blonde\brown hair, pig-like brown eyes and strong looking." (from )  
><strong>

**Does gorgeous Glimmer look like that?  
><strong>

**Some people have their own opinions. They're saying that children of Ares don't have to look ugly, and while I completely agree with them, I don't think they're supposed to look like super models, don't you think?  
><strong>

**They're also saying that looks don't really matter and that it depends on how she acts in the fighting scene. I don't know about them, but people really reacted badly when Annabeth wasn't blonde.  
><strong>

**Leave a review agreeing or disagreeing with me, on your opinion on Leven playing Clarisse**

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><p>How long had it been? Since I started making friends? To be completely honest with you, I never imagined I would <em>have <em>any friends at all. I was completely content with books as my company, but ever since Nico and Natalie came into my life, everything's suddenly better.

Every morning I'd wake up and eat with my siblings. I'd train in the morning and in the early afternoon, but after all that, I had something to do after. Normally, I would either read my books or train some more.

Now, I had friends to talk to. If I weren't talking to Nico, for whatever reason, I'd be talking to Natalie.

Natalie May was my best girl friend. She's sweet, caring, wonderful, and did I mention she was beautiful?

Her shiny black hair grew impossibly longer and now fell to her waist, but she always kept it in a ponytail or in a simple braid. She grew a few inches, too, but I was still taller than her, and it made me feel good I wasn't the shortest one, anymore. Her hazel eyes seemed to brighten whenever she talked about something she passionately loved, and I knew if someone asked her the right questions, she would talk on and on and on.

She was still shy, of course, and she barely talked to anyone either than Nico and I, but she was still as radiant as the sun, and everyone with working pairs of eyes could see that.

I could never get over the fact how gorgeous she was, but she would relentlessly remind me how beautiful _I _was.

I just didn't see it, but she reassured me several times that everyone else could. She also _tried _to teach me how to put make-up on. At first, I warned her if she put any of that goop on my face, her hair would be several inches shorter. She didn't believe me, of course, and she continued explaining to me what eye shadow matches my eyes, how much I should put, what kind of lip gloss makes me eyes pop, and blah, blah, blah.

I wasn't listening to her, and she quickly gave up on trying to teach me, and I couldn't be happier.

That was until she decided to teach me how to braid.

In short, everything Nico didn't know, I would go to _Natalie_.

She was the one who taught me how to braid my hair, albeit I was reluctant at first.

She was the one I would talk to about awkward subjects that I will not mention.

She was my best friend, who I could go to when I cried in books because she would comprehend _why _I was crying when Nico couldn't.

I loved her as my sister, and she always threw "I love you" now and then.

She said it so easily as if that was her catch phrase, and it was. There wasn't a day when I _didn't _hear her say those three words.

She never said it to Nico, though, and I couldn't help but feel relieved about that little fact.

We didn't talk about him all the time, but he did come up in a few conversations, but Natalie never said anything that would imply there was something _more _going on between them.

And I hope nothing would.

Natalie's my best friend. Nico's my best friend, too, but no matter how awesome she was, Nico would always be my first.

Nico would always be the first one I would talk to in the morning and the last one at night.

It almost became a ritual when we would say "good morning" to each other and "goodnight" before we went into our cabins.

Everything with him became so natural and so comfortable, it didn't even bother me, anymore, when I would see him, and a smile would already be graced upon my lips without my knowing.

Today was Wednesday, my favorite part of the week, and on that day, Nico and I would do the same thing again.

Natalie knew Wednesday were mine and Nico's day. No one could bother us on that day, and Nico and I would just hang out together, _exclusively_.

Natalie didn't mind. She was actually encouraging us to make more days "ours". I laughed and said one day was enough.

"Hey, Arabelle!" Nico shouted from the tree branch. He was standing up on the branch and holding onto the trunk for support. "You coming up?" he beamed.

"Of course I am!" I grinned and climbed my way up.

We never did anything special. We weren't "those" kind of people. We just talked like we normally do, and it's fun. Just doing that.

We weren't that high up. We could jump if we wanted to or if it was necessary, but the real reason why we never went further up was because Nico was afraid he would accidentally push me.

Stupid, overprotective boy.

My feet were dangling in air as I watched everything below me. Nico was doing the same, and in the corner of my eye, I could see his eyes were closed. I closed mine and enjoyed the serene atmosphere I always felt when I come here with Nico.

Trees were whispering secrets to each other, and when I say that, I _literally _meant it. I didn't pay it any attention and neither did Nico. We were both used to the sound, and that small little price was enough for us.

To us, climbing up on this tree—_our _tree —meant escaping the real world for a little while.

_The life of a demigod isn't really a fairytale. _

"I'm gonna miss you, you know," Nico said, so soft I wasn't sure if I was hearing it. I looked at him with my eyes open and reached out to grab his hand. His fingers tangled themselves into mine, and he stared down at them.

"It's only four months," I tried to smile. "I'm gonna be back for Christmas."

"Tell me again why you want to go to school?" he questioned. I opened my mouth to reply but his already started talking. "I mean, it's _school_. I'm pretty sure you're the only who actually _wants _to go."

"That's not true," I said. "Annabeth's going back. Lilia, too."

"Correction: only daughters of Athena want to go to school."

I laughed, and even he chuckled a bit. "It's my first year of high school." I bumped his shoulder lightly, just because I could. "I wanna see if drama _there _is actually the same in the books I read."

"And if it's not?"

"Then I guess I'll survive high school like everybody else." His eyes were burning into my head, but I didn't meet his gaze. This morning, something in my gut told me something was going to happen today.

And I wasn't going to like it.

"Don't go out with any guys there." He said it like an order, a command.

He said it as if he was my father, and I hated it.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that's your decision to make, is it, Nico?" I mocked. His dark brown eyes flared, and for a moment, I thought I saw a little bit of hurt; it quickly passed, though, as soon as it came.

"Well, excuse me, for worrying about you," he huffed.

"I'm a big girl now. I'm sure I can take care of myself." I hated that he decided to bring this up today; to bring this up _now_.

"I'm not trying to start an argument—"

"Then don't," I interjected. "Look, I'm going to high school. Nothing or _no one _is going to change my mind about it. I just want to feel _normal_, again," softly I said. "I just want to pretend that I'm not a demigod, who trains every single day of her life, who fights monsters, who—"

"But you are," he insisted. "So you're telling me that you would rather be a mortal than be a demigod? Correct me if I'm wrong, but mortals can't see through the mist, can they? They don't protect the world constantly, do they?"

He jumped down, leaving me astonished, and he looked at me once more before leaving.

"I'm sorry, Belle, but I just don't see why you would want something, when you already have something better."

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><p><strong>^^Did they just have their first fight? Well, it's not really a fight since they weren't yelling or cussing each other out, but does that really matter? <strong>

**I'm sorry for my rant up there. *sighs* It's just I'm a HUGE, DEDICATED, DEVOTED, OBSESSED, PJO fan. They completely ruined the first movie for me, and I'm sort of scared for the sequel.  
><strong>

**Some books should just stay books, you know?  
><strong>

**Review because you all love me? lmbo. (:  
><strong>


	16. Chapter 16: Secrets

**A/N: Hello, wonderful, amazing, loving readers! You guys are the best! Thank you so much for reviewing! (:  
><strong>

**I'm gonna keep this short, but I do have something to tell you.  
><strong>

**I am currently doing the _Butterfly Project_, and if you don't know what that is, I suggest you google it because I am not going to tell you.  
><strong>

**I know that not all of you have..._issues_...but for those have you, who cut themselves or harm themselves in any way, please stop. PM if you can.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Arabelle's POV<strong>

What in Tartarus just happened?

Did my best friend just leave me, stranded—okay, _sitting_—on a tree?

I couldn't believe it, though.

Nico had just walked away. I didn't even know what his problem was! He knew I was going to start high school this September, so I don't know why he decided to bring this up _now_.

It was only natural for me to begin school again, simply because I wanted to get an education. I skipped a year of school; I had to go this year. I understood that Nico was going to miss me, but did he really have to start a fight with me?

Was this even considered a fight?

I didn't know since I hardly fought with Nico. Sure, we had some banters here and there, but this was a completely new type of level.

I jumped down from the tree, landing safely on my feet, but everything just felt out of balance, now. I wasn't trying to be dramatic, but I couldn't focus on anything else other than the fact that Nico and I were fighting.

How long was this supposed to last? Surely, he couldn't be mad at me forever, right? We would have to make-up sooner or later, and hopefully, we would before the fireworks started. I wanted to go with him this year since this was the first time I would ever go without my siblings.

I was going to ask him today when we were on our tree, but, as you know, that didn't exactly go according to plan.

I didn't know where to go. Normally, Nico and I would spend the whole day together. We always would, but today wasn't a normal day. Today wasn't just another one of my usual days.

"Arabelle!" Natalie called out to me. I looked up from the ground. I didn't know my feet were walking until I realized my surroundings were different.

Natalie observed me from heel to toe, and immediately, her expression grew concerned. "What happened? Where's Nico?"

"He…he left. We were just talking and then he told me not to date anyone, and then I…" I told her everything. She was the closest person to vent and so that was exactly what I did. I let it all out. All my thoughts, all my feelings, all my confusion, everything.

Natalie was an excellent listener. She didn't interrupt me, and I wondered if she could even understand me.

"So, basically, Nico told you something you didn't like, and you explained yourself, but he didn't like that so he just left?" she clarified. Well, that was the simpler version of it but yes.

I nodded my head. She sighed as if she was slightly irritated, but I didn't know whom it was for. She mumbled something I couldn't understand, but I could only make out a few words. "Oblivious…stupid…blind…smart my ass…"

"Are you talking about me?" I asked.

"What? Of course not. You need to get your ears checked, Arabelle." She looked at me ridiculously as if she couldn't believe what I was saying. She cleared her throat. "It seems to me that Nico is just worried about you. I guess, he doesn't know how to express himself or something, but I think this is his own way of telling you he's going to miss you. And when I say he's going to miss you, I mean he's _really going to miss you_."

"I get that, I really do, but I tried telling him I just wanted to feel normal for once, and I—why are you looking at me like that?" She was smiling at me sadly, gently, like I was a toddler who didn't know better.

"Belle," she said softly. Why the Hades was she talking to me like that? "If you don't remember, Nico was an outcast. Well, at least, he was treated like one. For us, being demigods are perfectly normal. Nico's sort of out of place, I guess."

"Natalie, you are not making sense at all."

"Nico's feeling insecure. He—"

"_WHAT?_" I practically screeched at her. "Why would he feel like that? Aren't girls supposed to be insecure, not boys?"

Natalie raised a brow. "Boys have feelings, too, you know. No one's perfect, and everyone has flaws."

"I know," I insisted. "I mean, I understand that and everything, but why would he feel insecure?"

"He feels like he's not normal, like he doesn't belong here. But with you here, he doesn't believe that, anymore, but since you started bringing 'normality' into this, he's second-guessing himself."

"How the fuck do you know that?" I asked, stunned. How did Natalie figure out everything?

"Like I said on the first day I met you, I'm really good at reading people," she winked. Playing aside, she smiled at me genuinely. "You need to talk to him before this goes on any further. You still gonna ask him to fireworks?"

"If we make up," I nodded.

"Then do it."

***SDAAGT* **

"Godsdammit, if I was Nico, where the hell would I be?" I searched for him everywhere: in his cabin, on the beach, I even went back to our tree just to check if he came back.

Searching for him had been pointless. He could have shadow traveled anywhere he wanted to, and that was a fact I could not ignore.

I sighed frustrated and sat down ungracefully on the grass. I looked around where I was and groaned. When I gave up on trying to find the son of Hades, I started walking anywhere, without bothering to figure out how I was going to go back.

This is what I get for trying to be the one to say sorry first.

I sat cross-legged on the ground with my folded hands on my lap. I could figure this out, I told myself. I just needed to find Zephyros' Creek, and that would lead me back to camp. With a new plan, I stood up.

I came face-to-face with a decision, though.

If I was in North Woods, I had to go south, but if I wasn't I had to go north. I didn't know where the hell I was, but I couldn't have gone too far into the woods, right?

"You seem a little bit too young to be wandering the woods alone," a voice commented. I turned in what I hoped to be the direction of the voice, but I couldn't be too sure.

I observed everything around me, trying to find a shadow or a silhouette that might be trying to hide, but it was almost sundown. The trees were casting its own shadow, and anyone could possible hide in it.

That voice had belong to a male, no doubt. It was too masculine to be considered a female, and even if it was a girl, I'd feel extremely sorry for her.

Believing I was safe—if they wanted to hurt me, they would already have—I slowly relaxed.

"You see a little bit too cowardly to be hiding from a girl," I retorted. He snorted at my statement.

I glared knives at nothing in particular since I couldn't see the person in question, and I hated him for that.

"What's your name, daughter of Athena?"

If you hadn't noticed, it was easy to distinguish a child of Athena.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," I replied.

I didn't give information to people who hid behind trees and stalked girls.

"Tyler," he said, without skipping a beat. "Son of Apollo."

"Well, _Tyler_, I would really appreciate it if I could _see _you instead of talking to thin air."

Tyler, the son of Apollo, stepped out from his little hiding spot, and I had to swallow.

He had blonde hair that was almost as bright as the sun, and I know that sounds cheesy, but I just _had _to put that there.

His shaggy bangs almost fell to his eyes, which I concluded he liked to run his fingers through it. Most guys seemed to do that. I couldn't tell the color of his eyes from this far, but I knew it was either blue or green.

It was most likely blue since his dad had blue eyes, and the only reason I knew that was because Annabeth told me. He was wearing a tight-fitted orange t-shirt that filed his body nicely, not that I was saying I liked it, with low-cut blue jeans.

His arms were crossed, and his smile was cocky. I wanted to punch it right off his face, but my siblings reminded me relentlessly that you should let your opponent make the first move.

"I'm Arabelle. May I ask why you are stalking me?" I questioned, with a brow raised.

He ignored me. Bastard. "You seemed a little lost, Arabelle. Were you playing hide-and-seek with your little girlfriends?" he taunted.

"You seem to play that game often, judging from the way you were hiding earlier," I retaliated.

"Lucky for you, I happen to know the direction back to camp," he smiled smugly. Jackass.

"And how would you know that?" I didn't believe him.

"I go through these woods everyday. I practically know it from the back of my head," arrogantly he said.

"You're a cocky bastard, aren't you?"

"I like to call it 'self-confidence'," he swiftly replied.

"Well, your self-confidence is pissing me off."

"Funny. If you want to get back to camp I sugg—"

"Arabelle," someone called out. I sighed in relief when I realized who it was. Thank gods, she found me or else I would've had to find a way to camp with this person.

Natalie stepped out of the trees and into my sight. She looked beautiful as always with a high ponytail and her face make-up free.

She looked slightly flush and out of breath. She was panting. When she realized she was being watched, she looked up and stood straighter.

"Oh my gods, Arabelle!" she screamed at me. She was directly a few yards away from me. "I was looking for you everywhere! Do you realized how worried your siblings and I were! I mean, I know you want to find Nico and everything but - "

Tyler coughed, probably to alert Natalie that we weren't the only ones here. She froze as she realized who made the sound. Her eyes hardened and grew cold.

"Tyler," she acknowledged icily. From the way she sounded, it looked like she knew Tyler.

"Natalie," he said quietly. That had probably been the softest voice I ever heard from him. He wasn't the smug boy I was talking to five minutes ago.

No, this boy was entirely and wholly different. He looked vulnerable, wistful maybe.

"You need to go back to camp, Arabelle. Your siblings are worried and Nico's worried, too," she informed me.

"Nico?" I asked, a little bit too desperate and a whole lot of hope.

"Natalie," Tyler said, louder; he wanted her attention.

"He feels horrible for what he said, but he still doesn't want you to go."

I nodded.

Of course, Nico still wouldn't want me to go.

"Dammit, Natalie, you can't just ignore me after all we've—"

"Shut your mouth, Tyler," Natalie ordered, commanded even. The power of her voice even caused my mouth to quiet down, albeit she wasn't talking to me.

"No. You can't—"

_How was he even _able_ to talk?_

"Do not talk," she commanded her voice even more forceful and power than before. The temperature rose, and everything grew quiet. The trees weren't whispering, the animals weren't moving. The whole forest was silent.

This was unnatural.

This was not possible.

Tyler and I looked at Natalie in astonishment.

As she realized what had happened, she shook her head. Her eyes looked at me, and she looked as if she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I take it back. Talk. Go back to normal. Arabelle, I'm sorry. I promise I'll explain everything. I'm sorry, I have to go."

She turned away from me, and I was sure she was crying now. She ran as fast as her legs could carry, and I had to admit it, she was damn fast.

"Natalie…" I whispered into nothing.

"What does she mean she's gonna explain? You mean, she didn't tell you?" Tyler asked, with a bewildered expression.

I was frustrated and exasperated. Natalie had been hiding a secret from me. A secret I had no idea existed since she didn't bother telling me anything, and now, Tyler was asking me that?

"Tell me what!" I snapped. I sounded like a petulant child, and I cringed at my tone.

"She's one of the most powerful gifts I have ever known. Drew's gift doesn't stand a chance against hers. I don't know why she let's Drew bitch at her like that when she could just—"

"Tyler! What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Natalie charmspeaks. And from the way she silenced the whole forest, you know just how powerful she is."

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><p><strong>:O Natalie can charmspeak! I don't know where I'm going with this, but I sort of have a rough draft in my head at the moment...<strong>

**Review and tell me your thoughts!  
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**Constructive criticism is allowed but don't be rude!**

** What do you think?  
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**P.S. Leven dyed her hair. It's like black or dark brown, which I think it fuc*ing stupid since Clarisse has dirty blonde/brown hair. Her hair is black in the picture, though, but that could be the lighting or something.  
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**I don't like where this is going... :/  
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	17. Chapter 17: Act

**A/N: Hullo, loves. (: It's been forever since I updated, and I know some of you won't even bother reading my story full on, but that's okay.  
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**School is ending; I had exams, which is my excuse for not updating so much.  
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**A brief summary of last chapter: Natalie charmspeaks. Tyler and her have a past together. Arabelle is confused.  
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**Disclaimer: PJO does not belong to me. All those dumb butts who think I do need to get their brains checked.**

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><p><strong>Arabelle's POV<strong>

From the distance, we heard a conch being blown. Tyler met my gaze, and he nodded in consensus.

"We'll meet at Zeus' fist at 11 o'clock. That okay with you?" he asked. I nodded my head. "Let's go back to camp."

As we were walking, I started thinking about everything Natalie had said. "Will Natalie be okay?" I asked. Tyler kept walking; his head looking straightforward, avoiding my eyes.

He had something to hide, too.

And he didn't want me knowing it.

It's too bad for him because I planned to find out soon.

"Natalie's strong," was the only thing he said to me.

This day had been bad from the very beginning. First, I had a fight with my best friend, who, by the way, I still needed to go talk to. Second, I just found out that Natalie charmspeaks, and she was pretty damn powerful at that. Third, I had to worry about school and the fireworks, and everything was getting too frustrated.

Things were overwhelming me, and I just wished the world would just stop for a minute. Life didn't stop, though. It didn't stop for anyone. Either you get on with it, or it moved on without you.

My feet already knew the direction to my cabin, without my brain processing. The wooden door just stood there, mocking and taunting me. It dared me to go in there and see what waited behind, and with a deep breath, I turned the knob and opened.

I saw five seconds of light before something blocked my vision. I was pulled into a strong chest, and arms tightened around me. His body was radiating heat and warmth, and I relished the feeling of being in his arms. I was happy he had forgiven me, and I wanted to hug him back, but he wouldn't let me.

"Nico…your hold is kinda too tight." My voice was slightly muffled, but he heard me, anyway. His grip loosened, and from the way his stricken gaze was looking at me, I knew he was reluctant to do so.

"Don't you _ever _go in the woods alone, again, Arabelle." He was commanding me, again, but this time I let it passed.

Nico was just worried about me, and I understood that. If the roles were reverse, I knew I would've reacted the same.

He held me in his arms for a moment too long before the annoying voice of my brother crumpled our peaceful bubble.

"If you're done hogging my sister, I'm sure everyone will appreciate seeing her, too," Riegan sarcastically said. I wanted to tell him to bite my ass, but decided that I would play nice.

I wanted to strangle him, of course, but I'd save that moment for another time.

Nico dropped his arms to his side and gave me a small, apologetic smile. I returned the same one, and he smile grew a bit cheekier.

Riegan cleared his throat. Oh, how I wished I had my own room!

"Tell Chiron I'm moving into your cabin. I need some damn privacy if I'm going to stay sane," I whispered to Nico so only he would hear. He chuckled at me and nodded his head. Somehow, I knew he was going to do it, and I really didn't mind.

So many fun things we could do without the audience of my siblings…

"What the Hades were you _thinking_?" Lilia scolded me. She barely cussed—yes, saying 'What the Hades' counted as cussing—and when she did, it meant that she was furious.

In this case, it also meant she was disappointed in me.

I hated disappointing anyone, especially those who expected so much from me, but sometimes, I just wanna say "_Fuck it." _

Sometimes, I just wanted to not give a shit about anything people say and live my own life.

Sometimes, I just wanted to fuck what they expected me to do, and do what _I _want.

Sometimes, I just wanted to show them they don't control me, and that I'm my own person.

I couldn't do that, though, because my own being was holding me back. I wasn't that kind of person, and even though I really _wanted _to be, that's just not who I was.

With a sign, I answered my sister. "I was just so pissed at everything because Nico—"

"It's always the boy's fault," Riegan interjected. I narrowed my eyes and ignored him.

Words might sting, but silence was what pissed people off so there. Riegan could talk to silence and see what she had to say.

"—and I had a fight, and I wasn't thinking, and I just wounded up in the forest. I'm sorry, it won't happen again. I promise."

Annabeth, who was leaning on the wall, laughed and shook her head. "Guys," she started. "Arabelle's growing up, now. She's starting to make her own mistakes, and we can't blame her for that, now, can we?"

She didn't need a response since she already had one and so she continued. "We can't control her so we might as well let her live her own life. And who knows? Maybe she has a secret boyfriend that she's hiding from us."

She winked at my general direction, and her eyes slowly made its way to where Nico was standing. I blushed under her gaze and under the rest of my siblings'. I sneaked a little peak and saw that Nico had a perfectly poker face, and I was jealous he knew how to hide his emotions.

I wondered, though, if he hid his emotions any time when I was around him...

***SDAAGT***

"I'm sorry for being an asshole back at our tree," Nico apologized as we lined up for our food.

I shook my head as I picked some plump strawberries and placed it on my place. "Don't worry about it," I told him. "You were jealous. I _completely _understand."

Nico froze, and I restrained myself from laughing. I'd read enough romance novels to know how jealousy worked. I also knew how our story might end, but I wouldn't worry about it until the time came.

"Who said I was jealous?" he retaliated, his voice full of annoyance.

"Natalie might have hinted a bit or two…" I acted nonchalantly. Inside, I thought it was fun playing with Nico. I had no malice or anything like that. It was just purely fun to me.

Nico cursed under his breath. "Speaking of Natalie," he tried to change the subject, "did something happen between the two of you?"

I looked over my shoulder to find said daughter of Aphrodite playing with her food, her expression sullen. She stopped her hands when she felt my gaze, but she didn't look up. She simply stared at the grape she had been playing.

"I'll talk to you about it in the morning. It's kind of a long story," I added, a bit sheepishly. Once I told him about Tyler, I knew there was a chance possibility he might throw a tantrum—kidding, sort of—again, but this time I was prepared.

Plus, I wouldn't date Tyler. He and Natalie had something going on, and something happened between the two of them…

I could tell they had been the bestest of friends, but something must have happened that broke them apart.

I just hope nothing would break Nico and me apart…

We had reached the end of the line. I went up to sacrifice to my mother, saying a little prayer on the way.

_Mom, I know you probably hate that I'm friends with the son of Hades, but he really means a lot to me, and he's the most important person in my life. Please, don't let anything tear us apart. _

Gods, I hope nothing would...

***SDAAGT* **

"Hi!" Natalie jumped in front of the door just right after I closed. I was about to scream for my damn life when she covered my mouth with her hand. My eyes were sending her the message my mouth couldn't. I was shaking my head, frantically wondering what the fuck she was doing.

Who the hell jumps in front of a door in the damn night, anyways?

"Oh my gods, Natalie, what the Tartarus are you _doing_?" I hissed. She simply laughed at my '_What-the-fuck' _expression, which was something I did not understand at all.

Natalie seemed so forlorn and depressed in the forest. Now, she was this happy, bubbly, person, who didn't look like she was about to cry. When I saw her at the dining pavilion, she barely touched her food, and her face looked sullen.

You wouldn't think she was that person before.

"You're meeting with Tyler tonight, aren't you?" she asked, with a smile on her face. Her tone held no jealousy it in whatsoever; she seemed genuinely interested.

"Um, yeah. How'd you know?" As far as I knew, I never told Natalie anything, and I was pretty sure Tyler didn't either.

Her perfect, happy, _I'm-really-okay _expression broke for _one _second, but that was all I needed to know she was acting.

She wasn't okay. She wasn't this happy. She didn't forget what had happened, but she was trying, too. Oh, trying she really was.

I didn't know why she was pretending. Hell, I don't even know why she's trying to act as if nothing had happen.

_Something _happened, and she wanted to forget it.

I, however, didn't want to.

"Are you okay?" My first question momentarily forgotten.

Natalie shook her head like she was erasing bad memories before nodding her head as an answer. She gave me a worn smile, answering, "Yeah. Just tired."

"What are you doing here, anyways?"

"I wanted to go with you. To meet with Tyler, you know." She didn't look up from the ground the whole time we were walking.

"How'd you know?" I repeated.

"Intuition. An educated guess. Luck. Fate. You name it."

"Did you two…did you guys ever…" I kept stumbling over my words. I was trying to think of the right things to say.

"We're here," Natalie announced suddenly. I stopped in my place.

Damn. When I thought about something so intensely, distance didn't even matter.

I looked around for any sign of Tyler, but I couldn't find any.

"Maybe he—"

"Oh, he's here," Natalie said, nodded her head. She looked so sure and certain, that I believed her.

"Where is he, then?" I checked around again, one more time, but still couldn't see him.

"He likes to play hide-and-sneak," Natalie shrugged. "Anyways, you probably shouldn't believe everything he says," she advised. "He likes to sprout out lies and—"

"You and I both know that's not true, Natalie," Tyler said, as he stepped out of the shadows. His eyes were directly focused on her, and I instantly stepped back to view the both of them.

It was like they were a movie, and I was just the person, who had popcorn in her hands, glancing back and forth between them.

Natalie glanced at me before smiling. "Anyways, don't mind me," she said, "I'm just here to make sure Arabelle's okay. Can't let her go off into the woods alone again." She winked and stepped back. "I'm just gonna let you two have some privacy."

She turned around, and I could see Tyler was trying to get the guts to do something. He was shaking his hands as if he was preparing for a triathlon and finally, he got the courage to sprint after Natalie. He pulled her by the arms and forced her to turn around.

"Don't go. _Please, _don't go," he begged. She fiercely pulled her arms back and forced the fakest smile I ever saw on her face.

"Tyler, you're here to talk to _Arabelle_. I'm not Arabelle, okay?" Her smile looked like one's from a doll, and I wished she would drop the act.

It was killing me to know she was trying to mask the pain but failing at it.

"Natalie…" I started to say. Her head snapped to where I was, and she tried to give me a more convincing smile.

Yea, it didn't look too good from him.

"When you and Nico are together, cherish _every single moment_, you hear? Don't take anything for granted because one day, you might wake up and realize things have changed, and you don't know why, but it's not the same, anymore. And if that happens, you have to be prepared for it because it could come at you when you least expect it, and if you're not prepared, it's gonna crash and burn you down until your nothing."

I don't think she was talking to me, anymore.

"So don't pick fights with Nico. Don't make small things become bigger problems. Don't cause _shit _when it wasn't even there in the first place. Don't let pride blind your decisions because everything, then, is going to be fucked up—" She stopped.

She cut herself in the middle of her inspirational speech. She finally dropped that damn fake smile off her face and looked at me with sad eyes. I knew that look. That was a look of _defeat_.

She was finally done trying to pretend she was fine, and truth be told, I was happy for her. She bit her lip and shook her head. I didn't know why she did, but I didn't question.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I know I'm probably acting like a crazy, bipolar bitch (I have never heard her cuss so much), and I have a kind of good explanation for that, and I'll explain it tomorrow."

She thought for a second before adding, "And Tyler," when he heard his name fall from her lips, he suddenly became alert and ready, "you can tell Arabelle what happened. Explain your side of the story; I'll explain mine, deal?"

"Whatever you want," he said to her. She scrutinized him for the longest time, observing every move he made. She had a strange expression on her face, and I wished I knew what it was, but I wasn't a good damn facial expression reader.

Sorry.

She murmured something I could not hear, and she turned to walk away into the forest.

I smirked at Tyler.

_Oh, this outta be good. _

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><p><strong><em>Review please! (: <em>**_  
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	18. Chapter 18: Memories

**A/N: YEAUP! I'M BACK!**

**First of all, thank you for all the amazing reviews! I know this story isn't that great, but I'm glad all of you enjoy it!  
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**Um...this chapter isn't one of my best work so I'm sorry if it doesn't really make sense.  
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**Disclaimer: PJO I do not own.**

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><p>The moon was shining brightly, and it seemed like it was purposely being shone down on Tyler, as if someone—or something—was watching us.<p>

Tyler looked at me sheepishly. He turned to stare at the path Natalie took and sighed.

I couldn't hear the daughter of Aphrodite, anymore, so I assumed she was out of hearing distance.

That or she had light steps.

It was probably the latter.

"So I guess, I should get started, huh?" Tyler asked nervously. I made myself comfortable by sitting on the rocks of Zeus' fist and motioned him to continue.

He didn't bother sitting down; from the looks of it, he needed to stand up.

"Me and Natalie were best friends. The bestest. We did everything together. We only hung out with each other. We didn't make any other friends because I was a possessive bastard, but she didn't care about that. She didn't care about my flaws. Said she valued them as much as my strengths. Crazy girl…" he smiled, distractedly and wistfully.

I cleared my throat.

"Yeah. Right. Sorry." He scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously. He cleared his throat before speaking again.

"It didn't take too long for me to fall for her, and her me. We started going out after five months of friendship. We officially became a couple when she was 13, and I was 15. It was only two years apart, but my brothers still thought it was stupid of me to fall for a younger girl. I didn't listen to them at that time.

Anyways, after we became a couple, everything became brighter. I had a reason to wake up every morning, and I was always captured by her smile. She was my whole world."

"What happened?" I asked quietly. They sounded like a perfect couple. What broke them apart?

His eyes darkened; a sigh escaped his lips. "Shit happened."

"I was already having bad day. My brothers were pissed I was still together with Natalie. My sisters agreed with them. Fuckers. It was only one week. They said Aphrodite girls were always looking for hearts to break. I told them Natalie wasn't like that. She was nothing like her siblings. They said it was all an act. Everything "innocent" and "shy" she did was apparently fake. I didn't listen to the shit coming from their mouths, but they mentioned something about a "rite of passage." Something about breaking hearts on purpose or some shit like that.

"Anyways, I believed them. I don't know why the fuck I did, but I believed them. I believed Natalie was just like her siblings; she was fake and cruel and a Barbie. I stopped talking to her. I stopped everything with her. As far as I was concerned, the Natalie I knew didn't exist.

She was so lost, so confused. She didn't know why I suddenly decided to break off all communication with her. Hell, I didn't give her the real reason why I broke her heart. I made up some fuckery, saying she was too young, I didn't want to be held down by a _kid_. You should've seen the look on her face after that crap left my mouth.

She looked so _heartbroken_. She left after that. Like, she _left. _Like, she stood up and walked away from my life. I haven't heard from her since, and I regretted everything, but I knew it was too late.

She wouldn't even glance at me like she used to. She just forgot like I existed. It hurt like hell, but I deserved it. So now, I'm trying to get her to talk to me, but she wants nothing to do with me at all. I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do, and I hate it."

He looked up from the ground, his blue eyes pleading for me to help somehow.

I let his story sink in and stood up. When I was close enough, I just stood there and stared at him, scrutinizing. After a beat passed, my palm made contact with his cheek.

Take that fucker.

His whole left cheek was red, and I would be lying if a surge of pride didn't wash over me. Nico would be beaming if he saw me.

"You're a stupid asshole for breaking her heart for some shitty reason," I bluntly pointed out. "Did you really believe Natalie was capable of hurting someone on purpose? She's far too nice for that. She is too good for you, honestly. Good luck with that. I'm not helping you. I already have some thins I need to handle. Playing matchmaker isn't gonna help you."

I brushed pass him as I let my words process through his brain. I didn't turn as I said, "Oh, by the way, I'm on Team Natalie. Team Tyler can die in Tartarus."

***SDAAGT***

The sounds of waves crashing against the shore filled my ears, and the feeling of sand pressed against my skin felt rough. The blue sky was clear, and the sun was shining brightly. Apollo seemed to be in a good mood. I had my legs splayed in front of me, and Natalie to my side.

From the look on her face, I knew she would rather be anywhere else but here. I forced her to come, and I was pretty damn insistent.

Her eyes were on the waves, but I knew she wasn't focusing on the sight. She was lost in her own thoughts, and I let her be for a while.

I bumped her shoulder with mine lightly to remind her why she was here. She jolted back to the bitch we called reality.

She sighed deeply and angled her body to face me. "You're right. I'm sorry."

I grew more concerned for my best friend. This whole mess with Tyler really affected her.

"You don't have to tell me the whole story," I quietly said. "Tyler already told me some parts."

A small smile adorned her lips, but I wished it didn't look so sad.

"Tyler…" she swallowed. "Tyler was the best thing that ever happened to me." She winced at the cliché. "He was my first boyfriend, obviously so of course, I was falling for him hard and quickly. I, being a daughter of the love goddess, didn't really helped that much." She chuckled softly.

"I was young and naïve. I gave that boy my heart, and he crushed it in his hand. We only dated for a week, but it felt _so much more _than that. We had this connection that I didn't understand. A day I spent with him felt like a second; it was never enough. I constantly wanted to be with him. A day _without _him felt like years. It scared me how strong my feeling were, but I was dumb so I trusted him, you know?

One day, he didn't come when we planned on hanging out. I was looking for him, and guess where I saw him? I found him with _another girl_. I mean, he didn't even bother breaking up with me properly. He just forgot I existed and decided he was done playing with me.

Like I said before, I was dumb and naïve. So naturally, I go over there and scream what the hell was he doing. That dumb bitch had the nerve to smirk at me. Tyler found it amusing and chuckled. He told said girl to go somewhere—I don't know, he was whispering so I didn't hear him. She walked away, but not before kissing him like they were alone. I saw tongue, and trust me, my virginal eyes weren't ready for that.

I was thirteen so cut me some slack. Once she leaves, he suddenly transforms to this asshole I have no idea came from. He started mocking me, saying how he found it so cute that I thought we were actually together. He said I was just a _little girl_; he didn't want someone like me holding him back. I was heartbroken."

"I was a crying mess so I ran away from there. I ended up on this beach, and the gods were on my side because I was the only one there. So I cried and cried and cried. I felt like shit, and it just hurt so bad." Her voice cracked.

"I'm not proud of my decisions." She shut her eyes tightly. "I was a mess of emotions, and…I had my knife," her voice grew quiet at the end. "Blood was running down my arm before I realized what happened, and I…" Her shoulders shook violently, and she stopped talking. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, giving her the best comfort I could in this awkward position.

"Shhhh…it's okay," I told her gently. "You don't have to tell me. I get it, Nat. I get it." Her sobs grew louder with every word I said, and I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to do.

I wasn't good when it came to crying people. Talking didn't seem to help so I kept my mouth shut and tried to help her as best as I could without words. I held onto her, giving her the silence she needed, and her sobs grew quieter and quieter until they were only sniffles.

I loosened my arms, and her head slowly rose up. She laughed sadly. "I'm sorry. I wasn't supposed to be crying. I wanted to be stronger, but…"

"I get it." I gave her a comforting smile. She wiped her tears away and gave me a smile. Granted, it wasn't big, but it was still a smile.

"You should go. You still have to ask Nico to the fireworks," she reminded me.

Gods, I wanted to. I really wanted to, but I just couldn't leave Natalie like this. "No. Stop worrying about me. I'll be fine. I'm okay, really, I am," she added when I gave her a disbelieving look.

"Go," she demanded, with a smile so I knew she wasn't really ordering me around.

I pulled her into a hug and squeezed the living shit out of her. "I love you, Natalie, and we _will _talk after."

She nodded. "Go," she repeated, her smile bigger.

***SDAAGT***

"No."

"Excuse me?" Shocked couldn't begin to describe how I was feeling. Nico just rejected me.

Nico. Just. Rejected. Me.

His smile wasn't really helping because I didn't know what the hell was so amusing.

"Girls are not supposed to ask the boys. That's not how it works," he said.

"What the Hades does that—"

"Will you go to the fireworks with me, Arabelle?" he smirked.

My annoyance didn't last long because I found myself smiling like an idiot.

"Nico Di Angelo, you're such an idiot."

"Arabelle Camille, you didn't answer my question," he retaliated.

"Of course, I'll go with you," I said, feeling this weird happy feeling. I didn't know what it was, and I couldn't explain it in words, but it just felt really, really good.

_I was going to the fireworks with Nico. Who the hell cared?_

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><p><strong>AN: Follow me on Instagram! (: _writer_forever _Just comment, saying you're from FF, and I'll follow you back!  
><strong>

**So I know this came out a little rush. I'm really sorry about that. Arabelle will explain her feelings the next chapter. I don't know if it should be _before _or _after _the fireworks.  
><strong>

**She's still going to high school, by the way.  
><strong>

**And I guess, I wanted Arabelle & Nico to already _know _they're going together so I wrote down at the end of this chapter. I wanted something happy for the ending, you know?  
><strong>

**Review! (:  
><strong>

**P.S. I'd really like it if you guys gave me some CC to write better. Thankkksssss! :D  
><strong>


	19. Chapter 19: I Don't Even Want to Imagine

**A/N: **Hello everyone! Yes, I'm still alive!

Some of you have questions or , and I'll gladly answer them. Some of you have things I just want to respond to so yeah.

1) I have read the Kane Chronicles. (:

2) I cuss a lot. You're lucky I'm not cussing as much as I want to in this story.

3) Tyler and Natalie **WILL NOT **get together in **_this story._**

4) Um, let's just say that Tyler did have some few girlfriends in the past, like, nothing too serious.

5) Natalie and Tyler will have a talk, preferably after the fireworks. Is Tyler bad or good? It depends on you. No, they haven't told their sides of their story to each other.

6) _**GO TEAM NATALIE!**_

* * *

><p>"You're WHAT?"<p>

I winced at his exclamation and nodded my head. Riegan paced back and forth, and I felt like I was caught smoking by my parents.

Of course, in this scenario, I was going to the fireworks with Nico, and Riegan was lecturing about it.

I'd been friends with Nico for months now, but Riegan still didn't accept it. It's like he had this grudge against Nico that I didn't know about. As far as I knew, Riegan and Nico never talked until Nico became my best friend.

So why couldn't Riegan just like Nico?

I didn't know, and I'd probably never will.

"You can't go to the fireworks with Nico!" he said frantically. He was tugging at his hair forcefully, and by the looks of it, it was pretty painful for Riegan. He looked…he looked so _scared_.

No, I don't think that's the right word. It looked like he was afraid _for _me; he was worried.

"Why not?" I asked. It wasn't like I was going to listen to my brother, anyway.

"Because!" was his only explanation, and I rolled my eyes at how immature he sounded.

"Riegan," chastised Lilia. "Why don't you sit down, take a breath, and calmly explain why Arabelle can't go with Nico."

"He's a boy!" he blurted out.

"Well, of course, he's a boy," I shook my head at Riegan's idiocy. "If he was a girl, I'd probably figured that out _without _your help, thank you very much."

"No, you don't get it," Riegan shook his head. "He's a _boy_."

"I don't understand why you have to keep repeating that."

"Boys are only after one thing. The fireworks is like…It's where they _make a move_. Do you get it?"

"Riegan, why the hell would Nico "make a move" when I'm only fourteen?"

I swear to gods, Riegan could be so stupid at times. Someone please explain to me why I was having this conversation with my brother?

"I don't know!" He was slowly losing his mind. From the way his eyes were bugging and his hair pulling, he looked crazy with paranoid. "Eleven-year-olds are already making out. Twelve-year-olds buy stuff from Victoria's Secret. High school girls get pregnant. Middle school girls lose their virginity. This whole generation is fucked up. I just—"

"You're really worried about me, aren't you?" I asked him. My voice was different. It wasn't annoyed or irritated. It was genuine shock and caring. It touched me to know Riegan worried about me so much, even if it was a little crazy.

I smiled at my brother. You know, that soft, moments-like-this smile, the one where a toddler breaks something of yours, but you can't get pissed at them 'cause they're just so damn cute so you just smile and tell that not to do that again.

I playfully rolled my eyes and open my arms. Riegan pouted, bring his bottom lip forward, and honestly, he looked like a teenager kid. He returned my embrace, squeezing me like his life depended on it.

He was slowly rocking, and I wanted to laugh softly at the picture, but my face was currently occupied in the moment.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Riegan said softly. "You're my sister."

"Lilia's your sister, too, you know."

He didn't miss a beat. "You're my _younger _sister. It's my job to protect you from bastards we call boys."

"What about Malcolm and Antonio?"

"They care about you, too. They're just not crazy worried as I am," he smirked as if he was proud of the fact.

"I'm still going to the fireworks with Nico," I told him.

He sighed in defeat. "I always figured, but…" He closed his eyes tightly like what he was about to say would bring him pain. "Use protection, okay?" He laughed as I gaped at him.

I smacked him in the arm. "Kidding," he said as he rubbed his arm, "I'm joking."

Gods, my brother could be such an idiot sometimes.

Wait for it.

…

But he was _my _idiot of a brother.

***SDAAGT***

"This beach is important to me," Natalie said, gazing at the waves.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly; clouds were scattered around the blue canvas. There was a gently breeze so we weren't dying of heat. It was just perfect.

"It's where I do most of my emotional talk," she admitted as I listened. She had been talking, and I hadn't said a single word. I promised her I would always be there just to listen, and she took me up on my offer.

"I mean, it's not like I'm over Tyler. It's obvious that I'm not, but I just…I just don't want to get hurt again. I'm not depressed, anymore. I don't cut. I'm not crying myself to sleep every night or something like that.

"It's just…It's hard to explain. Every time something reminds me of him, I feel sad. I look back at the memories and think to myself, "Gods, can we just have everything back?" Like, I miss how things _used _to be. I hate what happened, and I wish they didn't happen, but they did, and I can't do a damn thing about it.

"It is _not _one of those middle school crushes. Gods, I hate those. You of all people should know that; you hate it, too. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not one of those girls whose love wasn't love. Like, I _did _love him. This is true love.

"It's not one of those annoying stories that you see on Facebook, where you just want to tell that person to shut the hell up, you know?" She laughed, and I joined her.

"I just…I do miss Tyler. I miss him a lot, but at the same time, I know I miss the _old _Tyler, the one that I did everything with. You know what's the worst part of all of this? Like, the _worst of the worst_?"

"What?"

"I lost my best friend," she confessed. "That one person who I can talk about anything and anytime. I told him all my secrets and all my dreams. I told him all my problems and all my insecurities. There isn't one thing I haven't told him. It sucks big time." I let her words sink it.

"Imagine if you lost Nico," she told me.

"I don't even want to imagine," I said immediately. It was like it was my instinct. Natalie looked at me with her knowing hazel eyes and waited for me to talk more.

Guess it was my turn.

"Nico means the whole world to me, and I know that's cliched, and I know you've read that a hundreds of times like I did, but it's the honest to gods truth. If I lost Nico, the world would always seem off to me, I can just feel it.

"Nico keeps me balance, and without him, I'm going to fall."

"That's a deep quote," Natalie noted and smiled softly. I chuckled and nodded my head. "We should, like, write that down somewhere so we don't forget it."

I laughed. "Things are so dramatic right now," I groaned.

"I know, right?" Natalie agreed. "It's, like, someone's writing our lives, and they're purposely trying to make it more dramatic."

"Hey person who's writing our love story!" I yelled to the sky. "Can you _please _make it less dramatic? I mean, first there's nothing dramatic in my life, and now, it won't stop! So if you can tone the drama down a little, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!"

Natalie shook her head with a grin. "Arabelle Camille, you are crazy."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I smiled.

"But you know," she started saying, "sometimes, drama's actually a good thing." She smiled that secret smile, and I decided it's better not to ask.

I rolled my gray eyes instead.

As I started thinking back to all the memories I had, I grudgingly admit that I wouldn't have those amazing moments if there wasn't any drama.

Fine, whatever, so sometimes, drama's actually a good thing.

I didn't care.

Holy fuck, what was I going to wear to the fireworks?

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><p>Sorry, no Nico in this chapter. ;(<p>

But Riegan and Arabelle had a cute moment, don't you think?

I added that last sentence because it made sense in my head. Like, you know how Arabelle says she doesn't care about drama? Then, she's freaking out because she doesn't know what to wear? Yeah, so that's why I put that there.

Leave me your thoughts and ideas! (:


	20. Chapter 20: I'm really, really sorry

**A/N: **Thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews! I seriously love all of you! Thank you for reading my story! I'm sad to tell you that this story might end soon. I don't know if I should make a sequel because honestly, I don't know what it would be about. lol.

Again, thanks for reviewing!

You might hate me after this chapter...just saying.

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

P.S. I don't really know how the fireworks work so I just made it up, k? x)

* * *

><p>"I cannot believe I'm missing dinner for this," I grumbled. "Ow!" I yelped as Natalie, yet again, burnt me with her evil contraption: a straightener.<p>

"Stop moving!" she scolded me again. I scowled.

I'd never used a straightener in my entire life. My hair was naturally curly; there was no need for a curling iron. I never bothered to straighten my hair, simply because I had no reason for it.

Apparently, the fireworks was such a big deal. I never knew that. I mean, I was pretty sure that all you did was just watch fireworks. I've been to one before, and I didn't have to do all these shit. Then again, I had never actually went with someone other than my siblings.

Nevertheless, I still did not understand how the fireworks suddenly became the new Valentine's Day. I didn't have a clue.

I, also, had no clue, that when Annabeth _wasn't _at dinner, she was _here_, in our cabin. With _Percy_.

To say Natalie and I were surprised was the biggest understatement of the year. I knew Annabeth had an...intimate relationship with Percy; I just didn't know how intimate it was.

Gods, that was so awkward, I thought back.

I met up with Natalie after ditching my siblings. They didn't notice me because they were too busy talking about plans for Capture the Flag this week so it was an easy escape.

As I opened the door, imagine our surprise when we found Percy and Annabeth on a bed. Annabeth was on top of Percy, and from the looks of it, things were only starting to get heated.

Annabeth was blushing scarlet; Percy was scratching the back of his neck, and a faint pink covered his cheeks. They apologized fervently before sprinting out the cabin.

Natalie was trying not to laugh, and I gaped at her. I didn't know how she found this so amusing.

She couldn't hold back the laughter at my expression and told me how she walked in on most of her sisters at her own cabin. I suddenly felt very sorry for my best friend. She waved a dismissal hand at my expression, pulled out a chair, and took out a straightener from her bag.

"Who was your first kiss?" Natalie asked unexpectedly as she continued straightening my blonde hair. She brought me back to reality, and her question threw me off guard.

Oh no.

"Uh...um..." I blushed. I never told anyone, not my sisters, not my brothers, I didn't tell a single soul. If I had told any of my siblings, they would teased me mercilessly, and I couldn't stand to hear Lilia's I-told-you-so.

"Oh my gosh! You kissed Nico!" she exclaimed and clapped her hands. She squealed in delight, and starting murmuring, "Okay, okay. Calm down, Natalie. You still need to fix her hair." I looked at her reflection in the mirror and gave her a look.

"I can't believe you kissed him," she said, much calmer. She tugged a strand of my hair and glared at me. "Why didn't you tell me?" Hurt was evident in her voice, and I sighed.

I fiddled with my thumbs on my lap and figured it was about time to tell someone. "It was a dare," I said softly. "Nico and I had a bet. Long story short, I lost the bet. I had to do whatever he said, and he told me to kiss him."

Losing my first kiss to my best friend was a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, I was glad it was Nico. I trusted him whole-heartedly, and I knew he would never hurt me. On the other hand, I felt sad that I didn't lose it because I was in a relationship.

I always imagined my first kiss with my boyfriend; I had always planned to lose it with my boyfriend. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would ever kiss Nico.

When he told me the dare, I thought he was joking. When it was clear he wasn't, I looked at him in disbelief. He then proceeded to tell me how I would regret it if I lost my first kiss to a douchebag. I protested, saying a lot of people didn't last long in their first relationship, and that their first kiss wasn't a big deal.

He reminded me I had to do whatever he said, and he really, really wanted it to be a kiss.

So I kissed him. And I liked it. A lot. However, after the kiss, Nico didn't treat me any differently. We were just two best friends, who kissed because it was a bet; nothing more, nothing less.

Bittersweet, right?

"All done," Natalie said. I was replaying the memory in my head in repeat, and I jumped in surprised when her voice shook me out of my thoughts. She smiled at me whilst looking at the mirror and said, "You look really good with straight hair. Maybe you should do it everyday." When I was about to object, she interrupted me, "Kidding."

I rolled my gray eyes but smiled, anyways. I did look good with straight hair. It was weird seeing me without my usual curls, but in a weird-good way.

Natalie brushed my bangs to one side and clipped it with a black bobby pin. She nodded, satisfied at her work. She brought out some more stuff from her bag. "Make-up time," she said, with a wicked gleam in her hazel eyes.

Oh boy...

"You look gorgeous, Belle!" Lilia beamed at me.

"I'm hungry," I groaned.

"That's what you get when you miss dinner for some boy," Riegan interjected.

"But it was worth it," Natalie reminded me.

It was. After a whole lot of screaming, Natalie agreed to only apply blush, a little bit of mascara, and some lip gloss/stick, whatever you called that shit. Yeaup, make-up annoyed me, and I wanted to wipe this crap off my face, but Natalie threatened to tell my secret.

Who knew this innocent, shy girl would blackmail _me_?

She already had my outfit planned, but it was my choice, whether or not I accepted it. I accepted it, of course, when I saw it was a simple pair of black skinny jeans, a white camisole, and a purple cashmere sweater.

"You never did tell me who was your date," I told Natalie as we walked side by side to the beach. Demigods were walking as well; couples were holding hands and being couples, and to be utterly honest, I envied what they had.

Didn't everybody?

Nico and I decided to meet there so that he wouldn't have to face the wrath of my brother. He argued he could take Riegan on, but I just simply rolled my eyes at him. Boys would be boys.

"I'm not going with anybody," she admitted. "I'm just gonna watch the fireworks alone; I really want to see them this year. They're always so beautiful and full of colors. It'd be a shame to miss them."

With that last word, we didn't talk the rest of the way, content with the silence.

Picnics were scattered along the beach, and those who didn't bring a date were with their friends. Couples were getting cozy, and chatter filled up the silence. The air was filled with the smell of salt water, and I relished the familiarity.

"There's Nico." I followed Natalie's gaze and smiled. He was looking at me, too, with a similar smile on his face.

He already set up the picnic, which was great because I was hungry as fuck.

I smiled a cheeky grin and said to Natalie, "Who knew?" Because I, for sure, didn't.

"Go!" she grinned and shoved me forward. When I almost tripped, I turned around and sent her daggers. She rolled her eyes and made motioning signals. It was my turn for the eye rolling.

I strolled towards Nico and sat down. He cleared his throat. "You look nice," he complimented.

"You, too," I replied. He had his signature aviator's jacket with a pair of black jeans. His black hair looked like he just got out of bed, and it wouldn't surprised me if he did. He was smiling at me in earnest, now, and it was equivocally the brightest smile I saw at him.

"Strawberries?" he said as he held up a bowl filled with red fruit. I took one and bit into it gently, praying to the gods no juice would spill.

"Look, it's almost starting," I said.

The fireworks were the size of patriot missiles, and they were shot right after another that they created frame by frame of Greek scenes.

My gaze was focused on the night sky above us, and when Nico made a move intertwine our fingers, I looked at him, smiled, and move closer.

Our fingers got tangled together, and the demigods were silent as the colorful pictures exploded above us.

Sounds of adoration were made across the beach, and I found myself making those sounds, too. The pictures were beautiful and amazing; the Hephaestus cabin never failed.

I was smiling throughout the entire event, and when a picture of Perseus killing Medusa showed, I smirked.

That was my favorite.

Nico laughed when he saw my smug grin, and I had to say, his laugh wasn't annoying.

Without looking, I slowly grabbed another strawberry and put it in my mouth. There was no way I was going to take my eyes off the sky, and so I continued taking strawberries without so much as a look.

The finale was a 100 ft. trident, and everyone cheered as it burst into blue and green colors.

"That has got to be the best fireworks I have ever seen," I told Nico, still in amazement.

"It's the best fireworks _I _have ever seen because…" he swallowed, which caused me to turned my head away from the sky to look at my best friend.

His stricken gaze met my eyes, and as he said those words, I knew things were about to go wrong.

"Because you're here with me, as my date, and hopefully, you'll be leaving as my girlfriend?" His tone was so full of hope that it pained me.

Nico, why did you have to say this _now_? Why couldn't you wait until after? Why did you choose this precise moment to finally show your feelings?

"Nico, I'm really, really sorry, but…"

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><p><strong>TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO HATE ME FOR LEAVING A CLIFFY (SORT OF) : I LOVE YOU, TOO! <strong>

**I would really, really, really love it if you guys got me to 300 reviews? I know it's a lot, but maybe?  
><strong>

**Love you guys! Review!  
><strong>


	21. Chapter 21: Dammit, Arabelle, I love you

**A/N:** ...You guys are just amazing! Thank you so much for getting me pass 300 reviews! I know it was a lot, but you guys did it anyways!

This chapter is longer than usual so it makes up for the time I haven't updated, is that okay? (:

* * *

><p>"Nico, I'm really, really sorry, but I just don't...feel the same way."<p>

Nico visibly flinched. I mentally cringed. No, no, no, no, no. This wasn't supposed to happen. I had a plan. A plan that didn't exist, but I could've made up a plan that would've fixed this whole mess, but I didn't have that damn plan.

"Nico, gods, I'm sorry. It's just—"

"It's okay," he quietly said. No, dammit, no. His voice was so full of hurt, so full of pain. Girls were supposed to be the ones who were heartbroken, but I was the one who was breaking his heart.

"Nico, I'm so, so sor—"

"You know what's the worst part in all of this?" he asked bitterly. He didn't wait for me to speak. "I thought there was a possibility, a slim chance of you feeling the same. I knew I couldn't have you, but there was that little part of me that imagined what it would be like if you were mine, and I was yours. It was stupid for me to think that that would ever happen.

"But I let myself dream. Every time you said, "I love you," I hoped and prayed that you meant it the way I did because dammit, Arabelle, I love you, but you don't love me, and it hurts like hell. All your little hugs and all your affections led me to believe that you could've possibly felt the same way about me like I do with you.

"But I guess we're just really good friends, aren't we, Arabelle? Friends who say, "I love you," to each other. Friends who hug every single fucking day. Friends who hold hands, who sneak out at night, who watch sunsets together, who have _one_ day, every single damn week, where the whole world would just disappear, and it'd be just us. All of those shit we did because we were just _friends_.

"I can't fucking help who I chose to fall in love with. It's just my luck to fall in love with my best friend. As cliche as this is, I sort of knew that I would fall for you, but then all those books you read..." he chuckled without humor.

"You'd rant on and on, how these two characters were so perfect for each other, and that they would never find someone else. Well, does that shit apply to us? Huh, Arabelle?"

His eyes were the coldest I have ever seen. They weren't the warm brown eyes I was so used to. His eyes hardened at the sight of me like they were made of steel.

Dammit, why didn't I think of this sooner? I knew it was going to happen, but I kept praying and praying and praying that it wouldn't happen, yet; that I would have some _more_ time to think of something.

Just like Natalie, I lost my best friend.

I lost my best friend...

I didn't know if it was possible, but I think I just heard the sound of my heart break.

You didn't hear how he sounded. Hurt and anger were laced in his voice, but you couldn't capture it on paper. He wasn't shouting, but there was no need.

"You don't understand..." It was no use; he already made up his mind, and if I knew the boy that loved me, I knew he was as stubborn as his father.

"Fuck this shit. Fuck love, but most importantly, fuck you, Arabelle."

There it was.

The finale line.

Ow.

"Shhhhh, it's okay, Arabelle. Things are going to get better." When did Natalie show up? How could I not feel her arms being wrapped around me? How could I not hear the whispers of everyone? The stares that were being pointed at me?

Ow.

"Arabelle, honey, I need you to cover your ears," Natalie told me.

I wasn't listening. Everything felt numb. Nothing made sense, anymore. I lost my best friend. You didn't know how broken I felt right, now.

Ow.

Dammit, I wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be strong and independent. I laughed at all those girls who cried because their boyfriends broke up with them or their crushes didn't feel the same.

Payback's a bitch.

I was too young to be in love. I was only a kid, a fourteen-year-old. What did I know about love? What did Nico know about love?

We weren't supposed to be talking about love for gods' sake! I was going to high school for ten months; Nico was staying here.

I wasn't supposed to be worrying about his until after I came back. I thought that if I stayed away, he wouldn't have time to tell me, but he did, and now it's too fucking late.

Something fell on my lap. I looked down and saw it was a small, wet spot on my jeans. I touched my fingertips to my face; I was crying.

I was crying for a boy.

I was crying for my best friend.

I was crying for myself because it was my fault.

This whole shit was my fault, and if I had told somebody my problem, I wouldn't feel so alone.

Something was covering my ears, but I didn't focus on it. I was too lost right now. Remember when I said Nico kept me balance? Now, everything was off, and I hated it.

I hated myself for being so dependent on him; a boy, to make it worse, but I knew that without a doubt, that I could never hate Nico.

He could say fuck you to me numerous times, but I still would never hate him. To the public eye, they wouldn't understand. They would ask, "Why would you still forgive him?" I already knew my answer.

"When you love someone, all their mistakes, all their wrongdoings, they don't matter, anymore. If you truly love someone, you'd look past their screw ups and love them for what they are now. It's when you would give them a million chances, and they would always deserve it. That's love, and that's why people do crazy stuff."

The pressure on my ears lessened. The silence was haunting; the fireworks had never ended this way.

I sniffled. I cursed myself for being so weak. I wasn't used to crying. I hardly ever cried and when I did, it was because I was reading a book. Nothing made my cry, and suddenly, Nico came into my life, and the next thing you knew, I was crying about him.

"Why am I crying?" I said out loud, not caring who heard me, anymore. "Why am I crying over some guy? I wasn't the one who was rejected, anyways. I was the one who broke his heart, but I'm the one who's crying, and I don't know why, and this shit is just fucked up because I'm not suppose to be this kind of girl. I never imagined myself to ever be crying over some guy so someone _please_ explain to me why the fuck I'm crying."

"Sweetie," my sister said, "you have ever reason to cry." She was in front of me now, but I was too afraid to look at her. I was frozen in the exact same place, sitting on the damn picnic blanket, cross-legged.

"But I'm not supposed to cry about a guy," I argued. "Boys are stupid." My defense was weak. I knew that, Annabeth knew that, everybody knew that.

"You and I both know that not all boys are stupid." Without looking, I already knew Annabeth was staring at Percy, and he her.

They were so in love. Nothing could separate them. They were just so _sure_. Doubts were foreign to them, and I envied my sister for that.

"Where's everybody?" I reluctantly asked. I hardly cared about anything by this point; I didn't even know why I was asking.

"I told them to leave," Natalie said, a bit sheepish. "I know it's a dumb question, but are you okay?"

"It hurts," I confessed, "it hurts really bad, and I don't know why because _I'm_ not the one whose heart got broken, but it fucking feels that way. I mean, I'm fucking crying for gods' sake, and I don't cry, but when _he_ says fuck you and shit, it's like a stupid dam broke."

I fucking hated describing things. To me, it was just shit. No one would ever truly understand how you felt, and frankly, I didn't feel like fucking describing shit.

It hurts like hell because I lost someone who meant the whole world to me, and we weren't even in a damn relationship.

I broke _his_ heart. How many times did I have to repeat this in my mind? From the looks that I was receiving, it's like _he_ was the one who broke _mine_.

"Everything's going to be okay," Percy promised me.

"No, it isn't," I snapped. _Stop fucking feeding me lies!_ I wanted to shout at them, but I couldn't because I knew they were only looking out for me. "I'm sorry," I apologized immediately.

"It's okay, Arabelle," Percy gently said.

I made an irritated and tired sound if that was even possible. "You guys don't get it," I quietly said.

"What? What don't we get?" Natalie asked. She was concerned and worried, and I hated when people worried about me.

"I have something to tell you guys, and I swear to gods, I haven't told a single soul about this. No one knows about it. I thought that if I told someone, they would judge me and call me a liar or a drama queen, and I just didn't want to deal with their bullshit."

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Annabeth looked at me concerned. They took it the wrong way, naturally.

"No, stop it," I said, frustrated, "I don't have a disease if that's what you're worried about. My well-being isn't endangered. I…" Dammit, why was this so hard? It was only three words. I doubted they would know the meaning of it, and I would have to explain, but it was only three words.

Okay. I could do this.

"I have philophobia."

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><p><strong>AN: **Philophobia is a real phobia. Google it if you want. Arabelle really does have a phobia, and she feels like she's alone because of that.

Review! Please? (:

Love you, guys!


	22. Chapter 22: But I'm just so afraid

**A/N: **There's not a lot going on in this chapter...but still read it, please.

So, my friend made a fanfic account. Her pen name is **DMorgenstern**. She has two stories; one is PJO, and the other if the Mortal Instruments. Wanna check her stories out and review honestly?

Your reviews are all amazing! Thank you!

I'm glad I taught some of you a new word. (;

* * *

><p><strong>Arabelle's POV<strong>

"Philophobia," I started, "is the fear of falling in love." I looked up to the faces who cared so greatly about me. They weren't judging me or calling me a liar; they believed me, thank gods.

"When I was in middle school, I never liked boys. No one ever captured my attention nor did they even try. To me, they were useless. They were immature and rude. They weren't the guys I've read in books, and they never treated girls with respect. They were annoying as fuck, too, didn't know when to fucking shut up.

"Apparently, though, girls seemed to like them for whatever stupid reason," I rolled my eyes. "They say they're dating and all that crap. They say they love each other when they have only been going out for a week. They break up when they get into a fight. They don't even _work _their problems out. When they have problems, they just give up and break the damn relationship off. They were never in love, of course. Their relationships were just lies, and I was always glad when those fucking couples broke up.

"Then, there were relationships who actually _were _relationships. They weren't crushes or infatuation. They were as real as love could get, and I always admired their relationships. They were young, yes, but their relationships were so strong. They were always together, never apart. When they were in different classes, they would always find time for each other. They'd text cute things to each other, and the only reason I knew that was because people liked to gossip. I never believed in gossips, though, but I knew this one was true.

"I always thought these couples would last together. They were so in love, how could they _not _last? When I saw them, I believed in the concept of _forever_. I always thought love was the greatest feeling in the world. Books helped me to understand love better; they've always been my teacher.

"When these couples broke up...everything I knew suddenly became something entirely different. Boyfriends weren't speaking to their girlfriends, anymore; they barely gave each other a glance. Their friends had to choose a side, and when they chose, their _friends _suddenly became enemies. I was always watching, never participating.

"Some weren't hiding it as well as others. When they thought no one was looking, they would stare at him or her, longingly. It broke my heart, even back then, because it was just so sad. Strangers became friends then friendships turned to relationships. Relationships tore friendships apart, and best friends suddenly turned to strangers."

Natalie looked at me sadly. Her eyes conveying she understood what I meant. Hades, she experienced it; we both had.

"These two best friends, who knew exactly _everything _about each other, never talked, anymore. They didn't give to shits about each other, and it was just so _heartbreaking. _Imagine if you and Percy broke up," I told my sister. She bit her lip, and her silence said more than enough.

If they broke up, Annabeth would never stand it. My sister was one of the strongest person I knew, but when it came to Percy, she was different. She was still strong and brave, but with Percy, she's happy; she's even more stronger with him. If they were to break up, Annabeth would be crush.

They were the strongest couple I knew. If they couldn't last, what made Nico and I possible?

"But that will never happen," Percy said determinedly. "I love Annabeth, and she loves me. We both trust each other with our lives, and truth be told, I can't find myself without her." He chuckled nervously. Annabeth softened at his words, and they gazed at each other with so much love, I had to look away.

"Percabeth really is the greatest couple, huh?" Natalie bumped shoulders with me. I brought my legs up and laid my head on my knees with my arms wrapped around them tightly.

"I don't want to lose Nico," I confessed. "But I'm just so afraid, I'm...I can't...it's just..." I couldn't find any words. My vocabulary had left me, and I was left acting like a stammering idiot. I didn't know what to do, and I was supposed to be a daughter of Athena.

I laughed bitterly inside.

Who would have thought that a daughter of Athena would ever be afraid of falling in love?

"I'm sorry to say, but I think you already lost him," my sister sadly said. I wanted to tell her she was wrong, I didn't lose him, yet, but I had a feeling she was right. Annabeth was always right.

"What am I supposed to do?" I groaned. "Nico hates me, the whole camp probably knows, I lost my best friend, who knew everything about me. Fuck my life."

"We have to go," Annabeth reminded me. "It's getting late, and Riegan's probably worried sick along with the rest of our cabin."

"Oh my gods, Riegan," I groaned again, thinking what was waiting for me at the cabin. Natalie gave me a small, reassuring smile.

"Everything's going to be okay, Belles," she promised me. I didn't believe her, but I tried to smile back.

_No, Natalie, everything's _not_ going to be okay_.

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><p>I was emotionally drain since the fireworks. When we came back, Riegan was shooting questions, wondering why we're back so late. I didn't have the strength to answer nor did I want to face my siblings anytime soon. I simply went straight to my bed, covered myself with the covers, and prayed to Hypnos that sleep would come peacefully.<p>

It didn't happen immediately, though, which sucked because I had some time to think.

Nico was pissed at me; he hated me. I couldn't blame him. I broke his heart, and in the process, I ended up breaking mine. I felt so stupid and idiotic. I should've known that this was going to happen soon. I should've planned ahead of time to prevent something like this from happening. I, however, didn't plan anything. I wanted to spend every ounce of time I had with Nico before I left for high school, and there wasn't much time for planning.

I felt so selfish. I knew Nico would fall for me. It was a basic plot line in a book: strangers become best friends, one best friend falls for another, etc. All the signs were pointing to it; anyone who couldn't see it was a fool. I saw it, however, but I didn't do a single thing about it.

Falling in love was scary. It was like giving a person a gun, trusting that he wouldn't pull the trigger.

I trusted Nico with my life.

Love was another problem.

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><p>The next morning, I was a complete mess. My eyes were dried; I used up all my tears last night. Without feeling my hair, I knew it was in a bunch of tangles. That was going to hurt like a fucker. I didn't want to move a single muscle, getting up wasn't something I planned to do.<p>

"Arabelle?" I heard Lilia's gentle voice said. I didn't open my eyes, yet.

"Can I stay at the cabin, please?" I asked, my voice hoarse from sleep. Shuffling noises were made, and I felt Lilia's soothing hand touch my hair.

"Things will get better," she promised me, "but for that to happen, _you _have to make it better." I didn't reply; what was left to say?

A few minutes later, the door was shut gently. I finally opened my eyes and sighed.

I turned into one of _those_ girls, the kind who depended on a guy for everything.

I was so screwed.

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><p><strong>The Cast of Sea of Monsters:<strong>

**New character for the Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters!**

Casar Flickerman - From the Hunger Games is playing **Dionysus**  
>Nathan Fillon - Playing the role of <strong>Hermes<strong>  
>Missi Pyle - Playing the role of <strong>Gray sisters<strong>  
>Douglas Smith - As <strong>Tyson<strong>  
>Leven Rambin - As <strong>Clarisse<strong>  
>Paloma Kwiatkowski - As <strong>Thalia<strong>  
>Yvette Nicole Brown Mary Birdsong - As **The Fates**  
>Derek MearsAleks Paunovic - **cyclops**  
>Robert Maillet - <strong>Polyphemus<strong>  
>Daniel Cudmore - <strong>Manticore<strong>  
>Alisha Newton - As the <strong>Young Annabeth<strong> for flashback  
>Tom Woodruff Jr. - As <strong>Agrius<strong>  
>Zoe Aggeliki - <strong>Silena Beaurgard<strong>  
>Christopher Redman - As <strong>Reardan<strong>  
>Katelyn Mager - <strong>Young Thalia<strong> from Flashback  
>Bjorn Yearwood - <strong>Young Grover<strong> from Flashback  
>Jordan Weller - <strong>Ichneutae<strong>  
><strong><br>Original characters from the first movie:**

Logan Lerman - **Percy Jackson**  
>Alexandria Daddario - <strong>Annabeth Chase<strong>  
>Jake Abel - <strong>Luke Castellan<strong>  
>Anthony Head - As <strong>Chiron<strong>  
>Brandon T. Jackson - <strong>Grover Underwood<strong>

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><p><strong>Review! (: Let me know what you think! Love you guys!<br>**


	23. Chapter 23: It gets better

**A/N: **Yes, I am still alive. Before you try to send my soul to Tartarus, it's only been, like, a week since I last updated. Anyways, I'm here with another chapter, and hopefully, you'll all like it! (:

So, all of your reviews mean the world to me. I appreciate every single one of them so thank you. Thanks for reading this story, thanks for reviewing, and thanks for still sticking with me. Love you guys! *lessthanthree*

_I got this review, and I just have to say it made my whole day. x) It was long, I think it's the longest review I ever had, and I just wanna say thank you! I never_ _thought someone would ever be obsess with it, but you told me you are, and that's just completely amazing. :D_

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><p>I was still in the cabin, I was still in my bed, and most importantly, I was still in the emotionally drained mood I was yesterday.<p>

Lilia would come in and lie a plate of food on the side of my bed, but I'd tell her that I wasn't hungry, and honestly, I wasn't. My appetite for food hadn't come back since yesterday, and I knew if I didn't eat by tomorrow, my siblings would shove food down my throat against my will.

My siblings...oh, my siblings.

Riegan was pissed, naturally. He wanted to murder Nico and send his soul to Tartarus, but obviously, he couldn't because 1) It wasn't Nico's fault, and 2) He was the son of Hades. Did that stop him from trying? Of course not. He was literally about to storm in Nico's cabin, but Antonio and Malcolm pulled him back, saving him from looking like an idiot.

Antonio and Malcolm were worried about me, also, but they knew that I would tell them when I was ready. Unlike said brother, they actually gave me their full trust.

Annabeth and Lilia knew the whole story. They just thought it would be best if I told my brothers. How Lilia knew was because of Annabeth; she explained everything to her, claiming that Lilia would understand, and how Riegan would not.

Riegan wouldn't understand because he was boy. Boys never understood how girls' mind worked. They didn't comprehend the complexity of our feelings, and how we tend to over think about everything small detail.

I knew I had to face Nico. I knew I had to tell him about my phobia. I really did know that, and I really was planning on talking to him, but I felt so afraid.

What if he didn't believe me? What if he thought I was making this up? Or worse, what if he ignored everything I said and kicked me out of his life forever?

I couldn't imagine a world without my best friend. I didn't know how Natalie did it, but she moved on, and I...I just didn't think I had the strength she had.

Nico was everything to me. I told everything to him, I vented all my problems to him, I went to him when I needed help. He was always part of my everyday life. He was etched into my routine. Him not being in my life was like the moon without the sun.

I needed him in my life. I wasn't being dramatic, anymore. This was real. This was how I really felt. When you felt the things that I felt, you'd understand.

I wasn't supposed to be like this, you know. I wasn't supposed to let a guy have so much control over me like Nico had. I was supposed to be an independent, strong girl, and if being single came with that, it was a price I was willingly to pay.

Nico, however, decided to show up in my life. He decided to become one of those people I cared for, and he decided to fall in love with me, and I just...

What the Hades was a girl—who, by the way, had philophobia—supposed to do with that?

"It gets better," Natalie's voice promised. I didn't hear the door open because I had been too busy sulking in my bed. I was lying on my stomach; my head facing down on my pillow, with my arms under my head so that I could breathe.

I concluded that if I spoke, she wouldn't be able to understand any word I said, so I flipped to my back and sighed.

"I know I have to talk to him," I said, more to myself than her. "I know that I have to face him and tell him about my phobia, but I'm just..."

"You don't like saying sorry," Natalie said as she sat at the end of my bed.

"No, I don't," I agreed. "I never liked saying sorry, and I never liked feeling this...vulnerable."

"Things will work out," she tried again. I didn't really believe in that, but I tried to smile. Frowning at my grimace—I guess my smile wasn't so convincing— Natalie continued, in hopes of boosting my spirits up.

"You just have to knock on his door, demand for him to listen, and explain why you broke his heart." She faltered her words, and I knew she didn't believe that plan would actually work.

That was alright, of course, because I didn't believe it would work, either.

"I don't think he would listen," I admitted. "Nico is stubborn; he can hold a grudge." In fact, his fatal flaw was holding a grudge. It didn't really reassure me that I would get my best friend back.

Even if I miraculously did get him back, things wouldn't be the same.

Nico would always be in love with me, and I couldn't love him back because of my damn phobia.

"Maybe I should..." I trailed off, words becoming much heavier. I tried again, stronger this time. "Maybe I should let Nico go. I mean, with my phobia and everything, he's just going to get hurt. I don't want him to get hurt."

"NO," Natalie said, her eyes popping out, appalled. "You are _not_ going to do that bullshit. The whole "trying to protect someone by leaving them" crap is overused. It's actually very cliche, and you and I both know that it doesn't really work. You will _not_ let Nico go, and you will _not_ let him leave your life, okay?" Her tone left no room for argument, and I had to smile a little at her.

She really didn't want me to give up.

I just didn't know if this would all work out. Nico could possibly hate me forever; he_ could_ hold a grudge. I could possibly lose the one person I trusted wholeheartedly. I didn't know what was going to happen, and that scared the shit out of me because I hated not knowing things.

I hated being clueless, and I most definitely hated it when I didn't know a single thing about what was going to happen next.

"I just..." Natalie paused. "I don't want the same thing happening to you. I don't want you to lose your best friend; to always feel like something is missing, like there's a whole in your heart that can't be filled."

"You feel like that, don't you?" I asked my best friend.

An apologetic smile formed her lips, and she nodded sadly. "But this isn't about me," she shook her head quickly. "This is about _you_ and Nico."

"I'm not sure if I can love him..." I confessed quietly.

"I think you already do," Natalie gently said, a small smile graced on her lips.

"Tomorrow," I promised, trying my hardest to ignore what she said. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"You better," she said as she stood up and went to the door. "You and Nico are meant to be," she told me, opening the door. She stopped mid-step. "I promise.

"Both of you can't live without each other."

"And how do you know that?" I asked her. As much as I wished it was, this wasn't a book, where you already knew that these two certain characters were going to end up together, and they were going to do everything in their power to _stay _together.

"It's a daughter-of-Aphrodite kind of thing." As she closed the door, I swear, I could hear the smirk behind her words.

What were you up to, Natalie Collie?

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><p>"Arabelle," someone shook my shoulders. I grumbled something inaudible; even I couldn't understand. I wasn't fully conscious, and my body still felt as if I were asleep. I had no idea who the hell was trying to wake me up, but I was so damn tired, albeit I didn't do anything for the day. I knew that was lazy of me, and I would be shaming at myself if my old-me found me like this.<p>

"Arabelle," the voice grew hard. It was definitely a boy because if this was a girl, I'd be praying for her.

"Leave me alone," I mumbled tiredly. The intruder cursed in Greek, under his breath. I would've rolled my eyes, but they were currently closed.

"Arabelle _fucking _Camille." Uh-oh, someone was angry, I sang in my mind amusingly.

Wait.

_Holy fuck._

I opened my eyes.

"Nico?"

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><p><strong>I LOVE YOU, TOO! XD<strong> **Yes, I did just leave a cliffhanger. I think. I'm not really sure, but whatever. **

**Leave me a review? I'll be your best friend~ (:  
><strong>


	24. Chapter 24: The Talk

**Just read the chapter.**

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><p>"Listen <em>care<em>fully. I'm Nico," he said slowly, "and you're Arabelle." He was talking to me like I was an idiot. I wasn't going to lie and say his words didn't stung; I hated how cold he was being to me.

"What the hell are you doing in my cabin?" I whispered-yelled. My siblings were sleeping soundly in their beds, and if we woke them up, Riegan would have Nico's head. As much as that would've been hysterical to watch, I didn't want that to happen.

He decided to ignore my question. "Get up. We'll take this outside." Without waiting for me, he proceeded to walk to the door.

I thanked Aphrodite—something I never planned on doing in my life—that I was wearing sleep-shorts and a white camisole instead of my pajamas. That would've been embarrassing as hell, and to be frank, I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of Nico.

Begrudgingly, I got out of my comfy bed and followed the son of Hades.

Couldn't this conversation wait until the morning? Why the hell did Nico decide to wake me up in the middle of the night? Furthermore, who _forced _him to? During the duration of our friendship, I was confident to say that Nico would've never came out of his own free will.

My questions were answered when I saw a daughter of Aphrodite, smiling at me apologetic. Nico took his place besides her, and I was looking back and forth between them. Nico crossed his arms, looking disinterested, like this was the last place he wanted to be.

"What the hell Natalie?" I asked incredulous and appalled. Her posture reminded me of a child being scolded by her parent; her hands were behind her back, her head slightly tilting down.

Smiling at me sheepishly, she answered, "You said you'd talk to him tomorrow."

"Yeah," I said. "Tomorrow _morning_," I hissed. You didn't wake someone up at 2 A.M in the fucking morning. People were sleeping, and if we got caught, we'd become food for the harpies. I didn't know about them, but I'd rather die a noble death than get eaten because I stayed passed curfew. "What if we get caught?"

Natalie raised her eye brow. "You didn't seem to worry about that when you were out with Tyler."

"Who the fuck is Tyler?" Nico asked as soon as Natalie finished saying his name. His dark eyes narrowed, and he was glaring at nothing in particular whilst I wanted to murder Natalie and hide her dead body in my closet.

She wanted this to happen. Hades, she was smirking for Zeus' sake. Damn her and her empathy.

"No one," I said viscerally. Of course, I knew that wasn't the right thing to say because if you read as much as I did, saying a boy was "no one" meant that he was definitely "someone."

Nico looked at me, not believing the words I spoke, and he waited for a better explanation.

"He's nobody," I promised. "Natalie knows him more than I do." I gave a pointed look at her direction.

The daughter of Aphrodite clearly wasn't expecting that, and so she decided to redirect. "This isn't about me. This is about you and Nico," she glanced between us. "Both of you need to settle this out, and I'll be damned if you miss out on something that will make you _so, so happy._"

"What's there to settle?" Nico asked, bitterly. "Arabelle made it clear she didn't return my feelings."

I winced at his voice. I wouldn't be surprised if Nico hated me, but selfishly, I hoped he didn't. I looked at Natalie for help, pleading with my eyes. This was a mistake. I couldn't do this, yet. I needed a plan. I was supposed to think of what I was about to say. I couldn't just make something up right on the spot.

I was being thrown to the wolves, and I had no way of fighting. My supposedly best friend shook her head, eyes begging for me to understand.

"I'm not here to walk you through this, Arabelle," she explained. "I just wanted to push you guys in the right direction, and...my job seem's to be done. You have to figure this out on your own. You have to tell him yourself, Belle. This is _your _fear, not mine."

"Fear?" Nico asked, confused evident in his voice. "What—"

"Spray this on yourself," Natalie threw an object to me. It looked like a regular perfume, but obviously, it wasn't. "That will mask your sent," she informed. I did what I was told and found that the smell wasn't so bad. It must have been a new invention by the children of Hecate. I wondered how many Aphrodite demigods used it to sneak out of camp for whatever reason... I shuddered, banishing those thoughts from my brain.

"I should go now," Natalie told us. "Talk," she demanded lastly. She walked back to her cabin, and Nico and I watched, both of us reluctant to let her go. We couldn't talk, though, in the middle of the cabins, where anyone and anything could see us. That was like having a neon sign right above our heads saying 'FREE FOOD.'

"We can't talk here," I said, obviously.

Nico also seemed to figure this out because he replied, "No shit, Sherlock. Let's talk on our tree."

Already walking away from me, I followed quickly, keeping a few feet between us. I couldn't help but feel a little elated that Nico still thought of the tree as **ours**. It gave me hope that there might be a chance that this would work out.

I didn't want to lose him. He _had _to be in my life, he just had to be. I couldn't be selfish, hoping that he would stay as my friend because that would never happen. Falling for your best friend changed everything.

Already the thought of love was making me nauseous. My hands grew sweaty, and butterflies—no, freakin' pterodactylus were attacking my stomach. I couldn't think of any time where I was this nervous, and that thought made me even more nervous.

Gods, what happened to me?

Here I was, nervous about confessing my phobia, scared out of my wits that the boy who had fallen in love with me was going to reject me and leave my life forever; I depended so much on Nico, and I hated myself for that.

I hated that I needed him so damn much, but even if I was able to go back and change anything...I wouldn't.

I wouldn't change a single thing because Nico altered my life completely, without knowing it, and I just...I couldn't imagine him having no part in my life.

I just hoped he felt the same way about me.

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><p>I didn't know if you noticed, but it was a little bit hard to put distance between two people when they were sitting on the same tree branch. The branch was only so long, and since I was still near the trunk, it was Nico who had to move farther.<p>

I didn't want him to, though, nor did I ask him. I supposed he was still mad at me, and who could blame him?

The night was eerily quiet, and I wondered if maybe the gods were watching us. I destroyed those thoughts from my mind; the gods had better things to do than to watch demigods' dramas.

I shivered at the feeling of a cold breeze, and like in the books, Nico shrugged out of his jacket, streching his arm to give it to me. I muttered a quiet 'thanks' before putting my arms through his long sleeves, relishing the warmth and loving how his jacket was so big on me.

"Who wears a jacket when they're going to sleep?" I blurted out. Hopefully, it was dark enough that he couldn't see the color that was faintly on my cheeks; he chuckled at my question, and a tiny smile formed on my lips. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all, I mused.

"Actually, I don't," he chuckled again. "Natalie told me to grab it before we went out; at the time, I didn't know why I needed it, but I guess she knew that you were gonna be cold."

I didn't know if I wanted to hug my best friend so tight or if I wanted to strangle her.

"Natalie would be an amazing matchmaker," I laughed softly.

"Hell yeah, she would be," he agreed. A beat passed. "What did she mean when she said you had a fear?" He angled his body towards mine slightly.

"Why are you being so nice to me now?" I asked quietly.

He frowned at my question before sighing. "Trying to be an asshole to a girl you fell in love with is kind of hard, you know," he confessed. The word 'love' made me swallowed.

"So you don't hate me?" I was still speaking in that quiet tone I used before. Briefly thinking about my past, I wondered if there was a time I ever used a voice so quiet and unsure. I really did change, didn't I?

"I don't think I can ever hate you, Arabelle," he admitted. "I might be the son of the coldest god, but that doesn't mean I am like my father."

"I know you aren't." From the very beginning, Nico was always judged on who his godly parent was. Demigods stayed away from him because of that, and that was the reason why he was so lonely.

It was also the reason why we became such great friends.

"I'm sorry for acting like a bastard," he apologized.

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" It was meant to be a joke; Nico never apologized that much, but my calling him my 'best friend' seemed to have brought us back to reality.

The reality in which there might be a chance I could lose Nico.

Fuck you, reality.

"Your best friend fell in love with you." He sighed, and just from that one sound, I knew he felt defeated and resigned.

I stared at the ground below us and hugged the jacket tighter to my body. "Can you...can you please stop saying that?"

"I love you, Arabelle, and just because you don't feel the same way, doesn't mean I'm going to stop," he said, determined.

"No..." I struggled to find the right words. "I'm not...I can't...I have..." Why was it so hard?

"You have what?" Nico asked desperately.

_Say the damn words, Arabelle. _

_He deserves to know._

_ Maybe if he knows, he'll understand why I can't love him. _

"I have a fear...of falling in love."

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><p><strong>AN: **Wait, wait, wait. Did I just leave you with _another _cliffhanger? I think I just did. Sorry 'bout that.

I am super, super, super sorry that I haven't updated in a long time! I had major writer's block, and when I was writing this chapter, it sort of pained me to do so.

Thank you so much for the reviews! WE PASSED 400! I SERIOUSLY LOVE YOU GUYS SO DAMN MUCH!

I'm going to try to reply to reviews from now. (:

So review and tell me if this was horrible or not!

P.S. Sorry if there are any mistakes! I just wanted to post this!


	25. Chapter 25: Talk to me

**A/N:** I love you all, so, so much! Thank you for all your lovely reviews! Every review makes me ridiculously happy, and I wonder what would happen if I ever received a flame..._  
><em>

*shudders* When that day comes, it will come, but for now...

Enjoy the chapter!(:

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><p><em>Please believe me. Please, please, please do. I'm not lying. I swear to gods, I'm not.<em>

I slowly lifted my gaze from the ground and was greeted by the sight of Nico's bemused expression. His eyebrows furrowed, as if he didn't understand the words that went out of my mouth, and to be completely honest, I never expected him to understand it immediately, anyways.

He didn't look at me in disgust, though, so that was a good thing. He wasn't scowling at me or scoffing at my confession, and I could only hope he didn't believe I was making this up. If he told me he thought I was lying, I didn't think my heart could take anymore damage.

"Say something," I said nervously, hating the silence that seemed to last forever. I fiddled with my hands on my lap to distract me, but it wasn't working so far.

"You're afraid," he said slowly, still not understanding, "of falling in love?" The last part was a question, and I wasn't sure if he expected me to answer or not.

I nodded my head silently. "That's why I asked you to stop saying..." I swallowed. "...to stop saying 'love' all the time," I finished, my voice so soft, it was possible he didn't hear me.

"Why?" was the first question he asked, now knowing my phobia. I could feel his gaze on me, and I shivered, imagining the intensity in his dark eyes. My courage seemed to abandoned me in my time of need, and I found myself incapable of meeting the eyes of my best friend.

"Love..." I cleared my throat. "Love scares me...a lot." How did people do this? How did they open themselves up and feel this vulnerable? I'd never felt this exposed in my life. I felt naked, admitting my secret, and there were hundreds of people watching me.

In this situation, though, Nico was the equivalent of said hundreds of people.

_He _was the one making me feel this way. _He _was responsible for the flying creatures attacking my stomach, making me feel nauseous and dizzy.

Nico flipped my world upside down, and his altering my life scared me a lot more than I would confess.

As I mentioned before, I hated depending on him, but I also hated the control he had over me. He pulled the strings, and I was his puppet, unequivocally under his control.

He didn't know it, I was sure.

That was the worst part.

"I don't get it," simply said Nico. "I mean, I get that love is scary and all, but to be actually afraid of it—to have it as a phobia, I just...I just don't get it. It's not everyday I hear that the girl I fell in love with is actually _scared_ of love," he chuckled, finding it ironic. "Would you please look at me, Arabelle?"

Painfully slow, I lifted my eyes from the ground. In his eyes, I saw everything that I could possibly want right now.

He wasn't judging me.

He wasn't blaming me.

He wasn't accusing me of lying.

He was trying to _understand _me.

If I had been one of those emotional girls, tears would be welling in my eyes, and words would be choking in my mouth.

If someone knew your secret, and it was a secret that made you feel like a freak or this insecure being...having someone trying to understand you, trying to understand _why _you felt this way was just...

It was everything I could hoped for.

I wasn't making sense, I know. My mind wasn't the most coherent at this moment, and if you had someone like Nico...hold onto him tight and never let go.

His brown eyes were filled with so much warmth and concern, I couldn't fathom why I doubted him at all. Nico wasn't one of those bastards I'd read in books or the boys I knew from school. He wasn't immature in the least; Hades, he lost his sister when he was ten, he fought in the Second Titan War when he was twelve, he had been through so much, it intimidated me—though, I would never say it aloud—how...how he was forced to grow up.

I didn't think anyone gave Nico much credit.

"Talk to me," he demanded softly. He moved closer to me, grabbing my hand and holding it in between his two larger ones.

"I don't know what to talk about," I admitted.

"You said that you loved me, though," he reminded me. "When it was your birthday, you told me you loved me after I gave you your presents , and then all the times after that, you've said it like it was the most easiest thing in the world."

I touched the owl necklace that adorned my neck, and a small smile tugged on my lips at the memory of my fourteenth birthday.

I had never taken my necklace off, now that I thought about it. The only time I took it off was when I was in the bathroom, but other than that...nothing.

"Yeah...I guess I did..." I replied, tentatively and a bit dazed. "I think...all the times I said those three words...my subconscious made me think of it as nothing more but two friends showing that they really cared for each other. I think that's why I was able to say it without freaking out," I forced myself to chuckle at the last part.

"Being with you is like the most natural thing in the world," Nico confessed.

"Um," I struggled, trying not to laugh at his words, and I didn't know why I found this funny, I just did. Nico seemed to see me shaking silently, holding in my laughter, and it wasn't longer before we both broke out laughing.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I just...I just really can't imagine the son of Hades saying something so..."

"Romantic?" he offered.

"Cheesy," I finished, finding it a better word. "It just caught me off guard; I don't think I can take you seriously when you say things like that."

"Isn't that a good thing, though?" Nico asked. "You not getting freaked out when I say stuff that shows how I really love you?"

The word love still made me nervous, but it didn't seem so bad that much, anymore. Love still scared the shit out of me, but...maybe it was possible that I might overcome my phobia.

"You can't leave me, Nico." I wasn't begging nor was I pleading; I was only stating it as a fact, like there wasn't any other option.

He _couldn't _leave me.

It was just not possible. My mind couldn't comprehend it, and neither could I for that matter.

Nico, slightly confused that I turned to a much serious note, nodded his head solemnly.

"I would never, ever think of leaving you, Arabelle. I promise."

_Break that promise, Nico, and I assure you, you'll be breaking my sanity._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I think I'm just going to include one author's note per chapter starting the next one...yeah, I'll do that.

There isn't really that much going in this chapter...but we have a promise!(:

I'm sort of jealous of Arabelle...she found someone who sincerely loves her when she was only fourteen.

Dammit. I wish I had a Nico. *sighs*

Fun fact about me (though some of you don't really care): When I was little, my parents used to tell me, that when it rained in the Philippines, there would be goldfish. In the rain. Meaning, they would be on the ground. Yeah...I don't know how I believed that.

**Did your parents ever lie you about something?**

Leave a review!


	26. Chapter 26: Let's Talk About Nico

The next day I felt immensely better, and my siblings knew it, too. Trying not to hide in my cabin and sulk all day was very difficult for me, but I managed to do it. I threw myself at training, reprimanding myself for becoming lazy. It was a given law that you should not let your feelings get in the way of . . . well, anything.

Nevertheless, I swore to myself I would not be that pathetic little girl anymore, who cried all the time and cursed her life.

Sure, I had a phobia, but that didn't mean it was the end of the world. I was a girl, though, and we did tend to be...a tad melodramatic, but whatever.

"Arabelle!" Dammit! Just as I was about to release my arrow, someone just had to yell my name. I rolled my eyes at the universe.

I put my weapon down and did my best to not glare at the person who interrupted my practice. Didn't they know I was trying to make up for the day I skipped training?

"What's up, Natalie?" I forced a smile, hiding my irritation. However, Natalie saw right through it, and I couldn't say I didn't expect her to. Her empathy was very creepy at times, but it was an awesome device for her.

"I know I'm intruding and stuff, but I haven't seen you all day, and I was hoping I would run in to you, but I didn't, so I decided to find you instead," she beamed, as if it was the greatest thing in the whole entire world.

"Natalie, you're my best friend, and you're amazing in every, single way, but I need to start training before I leave camp this fall," I told her, a small part of me hoping she would go away.

Her expression fell at the reminder of my leaving, but being guilty was something I shouldn't be feeling. We've talked about this before, and while I certainly didn't want to go to school, it was essential for me to go, if I wanted to have a career when I grew older.

Most demigods didn't reach adulthood, what with all the monsters trying to kill everyone, but I had to be prepared, right?

"I don't even understand why you want to go," she muttered. "School's a waste of time, and with our disabilities, it's going to be ever harder for us than for normal people."

I crossed my arms, tired of this conversation. "What's the real reason you came looking for me?" I asked, suspicion laced through my tone.

The daughter of Aphrodite had the decency to look sheepish after I called her out. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the tiniest bit curious of what happened last night," she whispered the last part.

I wasn't the only one practicing archery, and if someone heard our conversation, the whole camp would probably know in less than five minutes.

I didn't want everyone to know I had a fear of falling in love. It was hard enough admitting it to the closest people I trust, what more to a bunch of strangers?

"Can we talk after I shoot my last arrow?" I asked, desperately wanting to get back to my training.

Natalie raised both of her eyebrows, giving me her _are you serious? _look. I mirrored her expression, and she let out a breath of exasperation.

Crouching down to the ground, she picked up my bow and arrow. In a fluid motion, she released my last arrow, hitting it directly on the target before putting her hands on her hips.

"There," she smiled brightly. "Your last arrow has been shot. Let's talk about Nico!" She squealed the last part, and I couldn't help thinking Natalie was such an Aphrodite girl.

Her excitement caused the corners of my lips to tugged, and it wasn't too long before we headed back to my cabin.

My siblings were _actually _training, which was why my cabin was empty. I would be, too, if it wasn't for my best friend.

"From the start," she demanded, as she sat down on my bed, cross-legged.

And so, I told her, not editing anything out. I told her all my doubts and fears, all my insecurities. I explained to her how I was worried about Nico's reaction after I told him my phobia, and she let out a piercing squeal when I told her how Nico was trying to understand me and how amazing it was that he wasn't judging.

She laughed after I got to the part where Nico and I were howling with laughter after his cheesy moment, and she sighed dreamily when I told her the promise he made me.

"You and Nico are going to be an amazing couple," she told me. I tried smiling at her statement, but all I thought about was how my phobia was in the way.

"Yeah," I said, "if I had the ability to actually _love _someone."

"You do love him, Belles," she insisted. I remembered her saying something similar to that...

_"I'm not sure if I can love him."_

_"I think you already do."  
><em>

"I don't know," I admitted after a moment of silence. _  
><em>

"Why are you afraid of falling in love?" Natalie asked softly. "You don't have to answer," she added, "I just want to know."

"I'm afraid of the pain it would cause afterwards..." Yes, that was the biggest reason why love was so scary for me. The pain it could give you was just...unbearable and terrifying in every aspect.

It was like standing on an edge of a building, deciding whether or not to jump. This was a metaphor, of course, so I wasn't talking about suicide or anything relating to that.

Your mind clearly tells you that you shouldn't jump, that you would die, obviously.

But your heart...your stupid heart tells you to jump, to have faith. It tells you that you have wings or something idiotic like that, but to be completely candid, I always thought of love in that way.

Love was a very big risk, and I wasn't sure if it was one I was willing to take.

Sure, I fought monsters that could kill me any second, but when it came to love, I was a shivering, frightened mess. No matter how courageous or brave a person was, love could render them feeling vulnerable and weak.

I never liked feeling those things if you hadn't notice, yet.

"You trust, Nico, don't you?" she asked.

Instinctively, I nodded my head. Truer words have never come out of my life as I said, "I trust him with my life."

Natalie smiled at my answer. "Then what are you afraid of?"

Her question was simple, but the answer was the most difficult thing that I ever encountered. I didn't know how to answer that, if she actually _expected _me to, but her next question surprised me even more. Hades, it shocked the hell out of me, and suddenly, I questioned every single thing I knew.

"Did you ever think that maybe...you don't have philophobia?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Okay. Did ANY of you saw that coming? I mean, it's not really a cliffhanger, but whatever. I'm not making fun about anyone who has a phobia. I'm just saying that us girls...we do exaggerate things like it's the end dof the world.

Every single review is awesome and amazing, and everyone who reviews is just completely incredible, so thank you!(:

I know I haven't updated in forever, but I started eighth grade this year...it's sucks, to say the least.

Tell me what you think?


	27. Chapter 27: Letting Go

**Chapter 27  
><strong>

"So, let me get this straight," Nico began, thoroughly confused. "You're telling me…that you possible _don't _have philophobia, and the main reason you're afraid of falling in love is because you think I'll hurt you?"

"Yeaup. You basically summed it all up in a sentence," I answered, feeling sheepish.

"You do know that I have, like, three weeks with you until you leave camp, right?" he asked. Slightly perplexed, I nodded my head. He sighed deeply and looked at me, his gaze softening.

"Do you think I'll ever hurt you?" I fiddled with my thumbs in my lap; my eyes focusing on the ground below us, as my feet dangled in the air. I pondered his question for a moment whilst my heart beated erratically.

"I like to think that you won't," I said softly, "but I don't know that for sure."

"Nobody knows that for sure." There was a slight edge to his voice. "I get that you're scared, Arabelle. You're afraid I'll hurt you, but how do you think I felt when you rejected me when I asked you to be mine?"

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say, but I hoped he could hear the sincerity behind my words. I never meant to hurt him, but could you blame me? I was fourteen. I had never been in love. Then, my best friend fell in love with me, and I was too scared to tell him the truth.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I'm sorry I rejected you. I'm sorry I'm making such a big deal of all of this, and I'm sorry I lied to you. I'm young, I'm stupid, and I make dumb decisions when I'm scared. I told Natalie I could never love you. I didn't think I had it in me at that time."

"And now?" Nico asked, his face in earnest. My mind was screaming at me with thoughts of different ways this could all fall down, but for once, I wasn't listening. I wasn't listening to logic anymore because when was love every logic?

You couldn't find a solid meaning of love. You could never find one definite meaning, and that's because love was the unknown. It was a mystery, and not a lot of people could solve it. Everyone had his or her own perspective when it came to love. Love made you feel crazy; it made you feel things you've never felt before, and falling in love with someone was a big risk.

Admitting that to the person you fell in love with was a bigger one.

"You're my best friend," I started. "You know mostly everything about me, and I know I can tell you anything. Even before the fireworks, I was already afraid of losing you. I couldn't imagine you not being part of my life in any way, and if that isn't love, I don't know what it," I chuckled slightly at the end.

"Did you just say what I think you just said?" A smile was tugging on his lips, and for the first time in a while, I could feel genuine happiness radiating off him. His eyes were wide and hopeful, confirming my thoughts that this was _right._

I needed to stop thinking like this was going to be my deathbed. Love wasn't supposed to be scary. You just had to fall in love with the right person.

I wasn't paying too much attention about that, though.

All I could think about was that _I _made him happy. _I _was the reason he was beaming right now. Yes, it was my fault he was so sad, but hopefully, I could make it up to him. I'd make it up to him for as long as it would take.

I felt crazy, I felt insane, and I felt like I was floating on clouds. Did everyone else feel this way? Or was it just me?

I hoped it wasn't just me, but honestly, I couldn't bring myself to care if I was. I felt like I could take on the whole world, and while I knew that wasn't possible, I felt like that. My emotions were in a whirl, and if I wore a mood ring, all the colors would be mixed.

Hell, _I _didn't even know what I was feeling.

All I knew was that I possibly took the biggest risk in my life, which made me feel dumb because obviously it wasn't. It's what I felt, though, and I forced myself not to care.

It wasn't that hard considering the fact that Nico had leaned in and cupped my cheek softly. His calloused hands contrasted to the soft caresses I felt on my skin. His touch made me feel like I was a delicate doll that would break any minute.

In a way, I supposed I was. But, I wanted to be strong. I couldn't let myself be this frightened girl that was so afraid of everything. Granted, I wasn't afraid of everything, but I was afraid of love.

I was wrong, though.

Completely, utterly wrong.

It wasn't love that I was afraid of. It was the fear of getting hurt, of feeling pain. It made me feel weak, and I wasn't about to let myself feel like that, anymore.

"You didn't answer my question," Nico said softly, bringing me back to reality.

There wasn't a time that I had been _ecstatic _for someone to snap me out of my reverie. I immediately apologized.

"Sorry, I was just…thinking," I lamely finished.

"Well, that's not good," he said, leaning closer. I could feel his warm breath, and I thanked the gods that we were having this conversation before breakfast.

"And why is that?" I asked. Our lips were mere centimeters apart now, and it would take the slightest change of movement for our lips to touch. The anticipation nearly drove me mad.

"Because that means I haven't done a very good job of distracting you," he replied, brushing his lips gently against mine, causing a very soft gasp to come out of my mouth.

"We should probably stop talking right now." It made me feel good that I was still able to think straight by this point.

He didn't reply; I already knew he agreed.

And our lips finally touched, and I let Nico lead because I didn't know what the hell I was doing. There wasn't any rushing. It was soft and sweet, and for now, I was contented with that.

His lips felt soft engulfing mine, and that was when I decided Nico had the softest lips ever. Not like I had anyone to compare to. Nico was the only boy I've ever kissed.

And I was completely, unequivocally okay with that.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I'm sad to say that this story is almost ending. :( It's surreal to think that I started this almost a year ago. Thank you all for the lovely reviews you give me, I seriously love reading each and everyone of them. (:

My birthday's almost coming up. *wink* *wink* It would mean the _world _to me if I reached 600 before.

_**Review!(:**_

Tell me what you think, kay?

**P.S. **I felt weird writing that sort-of kissing scene, but I promise I'll get better at it. lol. x)


	28. Chapter 28: This Is It

**Last chapter. Read more at the bottom.**

* * *

><p>Could someone please explain to me why I was so afraid of love again? Being with Nico was anything but scary. It was natural, comfortable, and I was stupid for thinking that something would change drastically. Yes, we were now…a couple, but our relationship didn't change that much.<p>

Nico was just…very touchy nowadays. Not like I was complaining. It was just…very new to me, and I admit, sometimes it would scare me. However, Nico would always reassure me that everything was fine; that _we _were fine.

"I love you," he would say all the time, most of it unexpectedly. It was always hard for me to reply, and I hated that disappointed look in his eye whenever I would smile meekly and nod my head. I wanted to say it. God knows how much I wanted to, but it was just so hard for me.

It was also hard to accept that I wouldn't be able to see my boyfriend for about four months. The day I planned on leaving was slowly coming closer and closer. Nico and I never talked about it, just enjoying that time we had with each other.

"Earth to Arabelle," Annabeth snapped her fingers in front of my face. I smiled sheepishly at my sister. She sighed in mock exasperation. "_Focus,_ Arabelle."

Listening to my sister had never been so hard before. "How do you do it?" I asked, desperately wanting to know the answer.

Our relationship was still new, developing; add distance to it, and it was bound to be more difficult than it already was.

"How do you and Percy…" I struggled to find the right words. "_Deal _with the distance?"

"We talk to each other everyday," Annabeth answered simply. "We Iris-message when we can, and we only use our phones if it's absolutely necessary. I'll give you one of the extras that I have. Monsters won't easily find you if you use that phone."

"What if…what if you get tired of it?" I asked, seeds of doubt being planted in my head.

"Trust, Arabelle. Without trust, the relationship is meaningless and pointless. You trust him, don't you?" she asked me.

* * *

><p>There was a girl talking to him. I didn't know who the fuck she was, but she had this high-pitched fake laugh. I could see her using every reason to touch Nico. My boyfriend. This bitch infuriated me. Who the hell did she think she is? Touching <em>my<em>boyfriend? And why the hell was he just standing there? He didn't look like he was on Cloud 9, but he wasn't making any movement to stop her either.

I was feeling so many emotions; I didn't even realized I walked over to them until the slut stopped her actions. Thank the gods for that. If she continued touching him in front of me, I would have to explain the corpse that would be in my closet to my siblings.

"Can I help you with something?" Her voice made me want to strangle her. In fact, everything she did made me want to kill her.

"Actually, you can. You see the guy you're touching, is actually my boyfriend," I smiled without any type of friendliness, and my eyes were possibly murderous.

I didn't know I was the jealous type. I didn't think I would get _this _pissed. Now I knew how Annabeth felt every time she heard girls talking about her boyfriend.

Maybe all children of Athena were like this.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but your _boyfriend _didn't say anything. In fact, I think he liked it," she purred at him. He stayed silent. I mentally screamed profanities at him, and the bitch was included, too.

"Well, you must have some serious shit going through your head because he most certainly does not like it because you're a motherfucking whore that can't keep her hands to herself."

I didn't know who was more surprised; me, the bitch, or Nico.

"Nico Di Angelo," the minute I said his name, he immediately froze. Yea, that's right. Be scared, Di Angelo. You're in deep shit right now. "Care to explain why you let this slut touch you?"

Said slut made a point to speak. "Because he loved it. Duh."

"You know what I'm gonna love?" My lips pulled into a menacing smile that Nico knew. His eyes widened, and he was behind me in the next second, with his arms wrapped around me.

"Arabelle—"

"I'm gonna love seeing you on the floor with blood all over your fucking—"

"Arabelle!" My _boyfriend_tightened his grip around me. .

I sharply removed his arms and glared at the both of them. I turned around and walked away, but not before saying, "I'm fucking done with this shit. Go screw yourselves for all I care."  
>_<p>

I instantly felt horrible. Extremely horrible. I felt even more horrible as I unceremoniously flopped on top of my bed. I groaned as I buried my head further in my pillow, tightly closing my eyes. There were no excuses for my actions. Hell, I didn't even know what came over me. I was just suddenly furious when I saw some girl's hands on Nico. Our relationship just started and already some bitch was trying to take him from me.

I pulled the covers over myself, wishing that all of this was just a dream.

Of course Nico wouldn't want to be with me now. I practically told him to fuck off, and now he'd see what a horrible girlfriend I was.

_A girlfriend who didn't handle jealousy very well_, I thought ruefully.

The sound of heavy footsteps filled the room, and I wanted whomever it was to go away.

"I'm pretty sure the whole camp just saw you and that girl showdown," Riegan's amused voice echoed around the room.

I curled myself into a ball, embarrassed. Then, I remembered that I didn't actually care about the strangers who saw what happened, and I instantly felt better.

The bed dipped as Riegan sat on the foot of my bed. I waited for him to speak. "You know, peeing on him would suffice, too," he teased. In my head, I shot an arrow through Riegan's reproducing organ. I smiled evilly at my violent thoughts.

"You should've seen the look on your boyfriend's face." I heard the wistfulness in his voice. "It was priceless. Oh, I also loved the way he glared at—what was her name? Candy?—well, whatever. He looked at her like he would personally send her soul to Tartarus. She looked like she was about to pee in her pants," my brother laughed.

Candy.

Candy.

_Candy_.

That fucking bitch!

She was the same girl who told me that Nico would never be mine! Look who's laughing now, fucker. I lost all of my smugness when I remembered how I acted to her. That bitch deserved what I did and then some, but it was wrong and childish of me to react like that.

_She probably planned the whole thing_, I thought bitterly.

After Riegan's laughter ended, he didn't speak for a while. The silence was maddening, and I would've broken it if Riegan didn't beat me to it.

"Nico's outside," he told me. I felt my heart beat erratically. "He's been pacing ever since, and the only reason why he's not in here right now is because I told him to wait."

I wanted to kill and squeeze the life out of Riegan at the same time.

"You do realize that it's not actually his fault," my brother said, "and that you can't blame him for Candy's actions, right?"

Biting my lip, I nodded my head. The movement caused the covers to bob along with me, and Riegan continued. "As much as I hate to admit it…Nico is pretty much crazy about you, and you practically have him wrapped around your finger." Under his breath, I heard him muttered, "Whipped."

"So, if you're mad at him, don't be. He didn't do anything wrong," Riegan added.

"What if he doesn't want to be with me, anymore?" I asked quietly.

I heard my sibling scoffed. "That will never happen, Arabelle," Riegan said. From his tone, I could imagine him rolling his eyes. "I can't believe you would even ask that," he mumbled. "Well, my work here is done. I'll be sending your boyfriend in. Hopefully, he'll stop sulking, and you guys would leave in each other's arms, and all that lovey-dovey bull crap."

I heard the wooden door open and close, and while everything seemed to be quiet, I knew that Nico was in the room.

Of course I didn't actually _know _he was here, and so I peeked under my covers and made an embarrassing squeak as I saw him standing near my bed.

"Can you please come out, Arabelle?" Nico pleaded.

"I'm very much fine here, thank you," I quickly replied. I felt his touch through the covers, and I immediately started holding onto it tighter, knowing that Nico was about to pull it off me.

He was stronger than I was naturally, and he pulled the covers off without even trying. I muttered something about boys being unnaturally strong, and I sighed.

I sat up from my position and folded my legs under me. I felt the bed dip and figured that Nico had sat down. I met his eyes, and I mentally groaned at the intensity of them.

Damn him, and his intense eyes.

"In all honesty," I started, "I didn't know I was the jealous type." I chuckled nervously and waited for him to speak.

"You told me to screw myself," was his reply.

I winced as I heard the words. "I'm sorry," I apologized immediately. "I shouldn't have said that; I don't really know why I acted like that…I just got so jealous because _she _was touching _you_, and well…I got all territorial, and I'm really sorry again. Please don't leave me," I finished lamely.

No sooner than the words were out of my mouth, my head was buried in Nico's chest, and his arms were wrapped around me tightly in an awkward angle. I didn't pay attention to it, and neither did Nico.

"You're stupid if you think I'm going to break up with you," he murmured as he repeatedly kissed the top of my head. After I was finally able to breathe, I looked up again to meet his eyes. "If anyone's going to break up with anyone, it's you," he told me truthfully.

"I don't think I'll ever break up with you," I admitted, chuckling a bit. "You're stuck with me forever, Di Angelo."

"That's good 'cause I'm never letting you go."

"You're cheesy."

"And you love it."

"And I also love you."

My breath caught, and his own did, too, as we both realized the words that I've said. A smile exploded on his lips. It wasn't the biggest, but it was the most happiest I've ever seen, and I think I fell in love with him even more because of it.

He crushed me to his chest once again, and I relished the feeling of his arms tightening around me once more. He said the words back to me, and the familiar flutter in my stomach made itself present. I welcomed it.

Love was a really, really strong word.

Just make sure you're saying it to the right person.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ***tears up* I...I'm sad to say that this story is now officially over. I don't think I'm making a sequel either...but maybe Natalie will have her own story to tell...no promises.

It's a bittersweet feeling, to say the least.

**I love all of you. Each and every one of you. You're all are damn amazing and incredible and I can't thank you enough for reading my story.**

This is the end of our journey...

And I apologize for being so dramatic.

I'm on my dot, so that's my excuse.

**Review for one last time? (: **

**_LOVE__ YOU, GUYS._  
><strong>


	29. Chapter 30

**A/N: **For those of you who don't have me on author alert, I posted the sequel to SDAAGT. (:

I honestly don't know where I'm going with the story, but let's hope it's interesting enough to keep y'all happy.

Go check it out. (:


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